Price of Memory
by Rikayu-chan
Summary: It's been four years since Naraku's defeat and the halt of the BoneEater's Well's magic. Kagome still thinks about the feudal era and the people she left behind. What if the well, by an unknown circumstance, starts working again? SessKag
1. Prologue

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Prologue**

Kagome sighed wearily and lazily opened her history book. She was tired from reading over a friend's notes from the night before, but with a determined look firmly plastered onto her face, Kagome was set to learn what she could in today's lesson. In the last semester, Kagome had gotten ill so many times she had missed so many of her classes. Now that she was back, however, she wasn't about to let herself fail her first year in college.

"Class, you may close your books for now. We won't be needing them today."

Everyone in the room closed their books, a large sigh of relief escaping many of them. After five months of burying their faces in their books during lectures, this change of plans was warmly welcomed. It wasn't so much that Ichihara-sensei wasn't a great teacher, but he did have a tendency to give a lot of work and a lot of take-home reading.

"We are going to focus on… legends," the redheaded Ichihara-sensei said as he casually leaned back against his desk, his arms crossed over his chest.

The class remained silent, quite happy that they had a long-wanted break from burning their eyes out with their textbooks. Kagome though, was still flipping through the last of the borrowed notes she had gotten from a classmate and was trying to cram the remaining bits of information in her head while also trying to pay attention to what the teacher was saying.

Are any of you familiar with the legend of the Demon and the Young Maiden of the Cherry Blossoms?" Ichihara questioned the class as he unrolled a scroll that he had picked up from his desk. His green eyes that were behind a pair of sleek glasses scanned his unresponsive class briefly before he let out a small sigh.

"I guess not…" he muttered, turning to the piece of long, tattered paper in his hands.

Kagome closed the practically filled-up notebook and looked up. She mainly ignored her grandfather whenever he told her his stories so it wasn't any surprise that she didn't know what Ichihara was talking about.

"This particular story," he began, "Most likely finds a setting during spring, hence the cherry blossoms of the story. We follow a young princess who gets a bit too curious, in my opinion, and gets herself lost in the forest near her village. That is where she meets the demon."

"But how did she get lost?" the male student who sat in front of Kagome asked, interrupting Ichihara-sensei from his story.

"Pardon?"

"How exactly did she get lost?" he asked again.

Ichihara crossed his arms again and paused briefly before answering. "Well, for starters," he said, "I don't think the young lady was very familiar with the area since she was mainly restricted to staying in her father's castle until she was married. Then, as it is today in trying to get into certain clubs, security can be easily distracted given the right opportunity."

"But someone must've noticed that she was missing," he same student replied.

"Clever…" Ichihara smiled.

For a long moment, Ichihara said nothing, staring at the ground. Then, he cleared his throat and shifted to a full standing position from his desk. He walked quietly along a row of students and tapped the scroll lightly in his hands.

Suddenly, he spoke. "Who here has snuck out in the dead of the night when their parents are fast asleep to go to a party or something of the sort?" he asked the class.

Most of the students raised up their hands, making a smirk appear on Ichihara's face as he walked back to his desk. He replaced himself to his original position and turned to the young man from earlier.

"You see, teenagers back then are still teenagers. They also have the sudden urge to explore what is not know to them or what was said not to do," Ichihara stated matter-of-factly.

The student from before shrugged defeatedly and sighed. He rested his arms on his desk and gave a sort of lopsided smile. "Aren't you going to finish with the story, Ichihara-sensei? They pay you to teach us, right?"

Ichihara shook his head exasperatedly and walked forward again, this time messing up the young man's unusual combination of black and white hair like he was a child. The class laughed while the young man brushed away his teacher's hand. Ichihara looked up and sighed.

"The princess," he said, "Had gotten herself lost after a few hours of aimlessly wandering on her own; a very dangerous and naïve move for those in a forest that was home to demons, might I add. It was getting quite dark and in her rush in trying to find her way back to the castle, she tripped on a protruding root of a cherry blossom tree."

Ichihara paused and looked out the window. He rolled the scroll up in his hand and continued. "Alone and injured, you can probably wonder what was going through her mind."

He turned back to his class, particularly at Kagome. "Higurashi-san, what kind of demon do you think chanced upon her?"

Kagome blinked as she heard her surname being called out. She had only been partially paying attention despite all of her effort. "Sir?"

Ichihara repeated his question, "What kind of demon do you think found the princess after she sprained her ankle?"

"Umm…" she bit her lip and thought back to the beginning of the lesson, where she was paying better attention to Ichihara-sensei, "It was a demon that could take a human form."

"Well put," Ichihara nodded, "The demon was most likely the kind that could take hold of a human likeness. I'm sure you all remember last month's lesson… But, let's not get off topic, shall we?

"The princess was, to put it quite simply, scared out of her mind's end when the demon of put story approached her, but all he did was examine her injury and mended it to some extent. After a while, the princess had fallen asleep because of her exhaustion. When she had regained her consciousness, she was back safe and sound in her father's castle."

Ichihara adjusted his glasses and walked back to his desk. He picked up and archaic piece of paper and handed it to the girl who sat in the front corner. She looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

"That," he said as he returned to his desk, "Is a piece of artwork inspired by this legend. It belongs to a good friend of mine and according to him, his family has had the painting since the late years of the Heian period.

"Is that it? That's the end of the story?" the girl he had handed the paper to asked as she looked over the ancient piece of ink art.

"No," Ichihara responded, " I just wanted you all to get a look at that before I continued.

Once the picture finally passed over to Kagome, she narrowed her eyes slightly at it. The painting was black and white and heavily aged that most of the detail was smudged, in a way. The scene was of a princess sitting on the ground next to a tree and a man kneeling on one knee next to her. Kagome blinked and stared at the picture again before passing it to the next person. She had a nagging feeling that she had seen something along that line, but she discarded it as her imagination.

Ichihara waited in front of his desk for the painting quietly. His eyes followed the paper intently as it was passed around the class and once it was passed to the last person, he collected it and placed it back on his desk. Then, he turned aroubd and sat himself on the windowsill with his arms crossed.

"The princess became smitten with the demon and snuck out every other night to the cherry blossom tree to meet with the demon. Eventually, her father had found out about his daughter's nightly rendezvous with the demon when a guard had followed after her one night. He forbade her from ever meeting with the demon she had fallen in love with. However, she disobeyed him and ran off with the demon, who had in turn, fallen in love with her."

"How romantic, " one of the girls sighed dreamily.

Ichihara smiled, "Yes, quite…" He looked at wristwatch then looked back up at his already starting to leave class. "Before you go," he said, "Make sure you start on your semester projects! It's forty percent of your final grade!"

Kagome sighed and stood up, stuffing her history stuff into her bag. She walked over to the boy with the black and white hair and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Here Shiro," she said as she handed him his notebook, "Thanks for letting me borrow them."

Shiro took the notebook from her and placed it into his back, giving her a small smile after doing so. "Anytime," he said, "My brother took a history course too so, I have lots of his old notebooks. Ichihara was his teacher too. In fact, the notebook I let you borrow was half filled with his notes."

Kagome smiled and watched as he waved goodbye before disappearing out the door. She too was about to go home until she heard Ichihara call out her name. She sighed dejectedly and walked towards his desk.

" Higurashi-san," he started, "I just remembered… You still don't have a project topic, do you?"

Kagome nodded.

"Well then, just pick a piece of paper from that bowl over there," Ichihara pointes at a tall shelf. "Everyone's already picked."

She muttered an okay and made her way to the shelf. The only bowl on the shelf was a small ceramic one on a high part of the shelf. i The least he could've done was put it a little bit lower… /i Kagome reached up for the bowl tiptoeing and straining to reach the papers inside. After a bit more difficulty than she had hoped for, she stepped away from the shelf with a small folded paper in her hand. She opened it as she walked back to her teacher's desk and frowned as she read the words written down on it.

Ichihara noticed her frown from the corner of his eyes and looked up from the work he was doing on his desk. "Is something the matter, Higurashi-san?" he asked.

Kagome snapped out of her split second of anything but reality and shook her head, "No sir…"

"Are you sure?"

Kagome nodded and handed him the piece of paper. At this point, all she wanted to do was go back home. She wasn't in that good of a mood anymore and the added knowledge of her research topic just spoiled her mood even more.

"Demon Lord of the West, the Son of the Dog General… A very good choice… There are a lot of interesting things about him." Ichihara said as he wrote down her topic next to her name in his record book. "You may go home now, Higurashi-san…"

"Kagome sighed and then bowed politely. "Thank you, Ichihara-sensei. See you on Monday." With that, she walked out that door. She made her way down the stairs and toward the gates.

Maybe if the well hadn't stopped working she'd probably have an easier time with the project. Then again, Inuyasha probably didn't know squat about his older brother more than the obvious. Kagome knew little about the demon lord herself since she had only witness him a few times and that was mostly when he was fighting with Inuyasha for the Tetsusaiga.

But… Maybe, if the well hadn't closed, everything would be different. Maybe it was supposed to be this way, but nothing really changed her mind about the whole thing being completely screwed up. Maybe, if she had been able to say goodbye, it wouldn't hurt so much just thinking about it. Maybe, if she knew ahead of time…

Kagome let her eyes fall slightly on the ground as the other students passed her. She was about to drift into her own world again until a voice sliced through her senses and stopped her in her tracks. She quickly plastered a smile on her face and turned around.

"Kagome!" waved an overly enthusiastic young man as he ran towards her.

She wanted to runaway, but that would be too rude so she stood rooted to her spot. '_Someone save me…' _

"Hi, Hojo!"

**TBC...**


	2. Retained Hope

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter One: Retained Hope**

"Hi, Hojo-kun! How've you been?" Kagome said through a plastered grin.

The young man, looking about as giddy as ever, smiled and pulled out a small book from his backpack as he walked closer to Kagome. He handed it to Kagome and proceeded to tell her that it was a book he had made over the summer for her and that it was filled with all kinds of healthy cooking recipes that she could use if she was feeling ill. Then, he started to dwell off subject when he mentioned something about going out to the movies and lunch during Saturday.

Kagome sighed and look down at the small brown book in her hands. She looked up at him as he looked off to somewhere else, obviously trying to ask her out without making a fool of himself. "Hojo-kun," Kagome started, "You know, you didn't have to do this."

"Oh no!" he said as a hint of a blush washed over his cheeks, "I'm just looking out for a good friend!" He flashed her a big grin, but was suddenly pulled away by a few of his college friends.

Kagome inched away slowly and when the opportunity allowed her, she ran as fast as she could off-campus and on her way home. However, she did feel a bit guilty for leaving the poor guy, but she just needed some time for her to blow off some steam and just have some time to think clearly without any distractions. Besides, it was annoying being in his clutches of enthusiastically welded steel.

She still lived with her family at their shrine, and almost dreadfully, it always felt as though she was still stuck in high school. She was walking back from school and was quietly walking up the numerous steps to the torii gate that stood at the top, but it only served to remind her of the world beyond the well. It reminded her of the people she left behind without so much as a final goodbye.

Kagome sighed and made her way to her house behind the main shrine. She knew better that that. There was no point in lingering about the past and wishing for something that was now impossible. It was completely meaningless to be so naïve and she wasn't that wishy-washy little schoolgirl anymore. No matter how much she'd be willing to give everything up to go back to that though, she knew she couldn't.

"Hmm?" Kagome halted in her steps and stared at the old wooden door leading to the Bone-Eater's well. She felt something, but she just wasn't quite sure what.

She edged towards the door slowly and placed her hands on it and listened carefully. However, the only thing she heard was the sound of the breeze blowing against the trees that surrounded the shrine.

"What am I doing?" she said as she withdrew her hand. "It was… It was just my imagination…"

Kagome shrugged the strange feeling she had and turned away until she felt a strong pulse of power surge out from the other side of the door. She slammed the door open and dashed down to the well in side. But, once she reached the old structure and peeked inside its cramped confines, the feeling had disappeared just as fast as it had come. She looked up and scanned around the room. The sacred seals around the mouth of the well were still in place and nothing indicated that something was wrong, but a feeling in her gut told her otherwise.

Leaning over the edge of the old wooden structure of the well, Kagome squinted her eyes and looked down its cramped confines for anything amiss. But, everything seemed normal enough. So, she grabbed onto the rope ladder attached to the rim of the well and made her way down then jumped about half-way.

Kagome landed and twitched slightly. _'I think I pulled a muscle there…' _

She stood and examined the ground, a rather fruitless effort since there obviously wasn't anything there. She knelt down and touched the dirt with the tips of her fingers. _'What am I doing? Of course, there's nothing here…'_

"Kagome! What are you doing down there?" she heard suddenly above her.

Kagome looked up and saw as her brother peered down at her from the top of the well. He had probably just come back from his soccer practice and had most likely seen the well house door open then went to check.

"I thought you said the well didn't work anymore. What gives?" he said as he pulled her out of the well.

Kagome sighed and adjusted her bag. She looked up at him and simply said, "It doesn't." With that she walked out the door and continued on her way to their house.

Souta ran after her and walked with her side-by-side, "Then why were you in there?"

"I just… nothing…" she said as she let her eyes fall to the ground.

Her brother rolled his eyes and opened the door for his sister. "You know, nee-chan, I think all that reading's gone to your head. Maybe you should actually take enough time to sleep today."

"I'm fine," she protested as she brushed passed him irritated. She kicked off her shoes and proceeded to walk upstairs to her room. "Don't you have soccer practice?"

"But I just came--"

"No buts! You're going to be late!"

Souta sighed dejectedly. _'I just came back from soccer practice…'_ "if you collapse out of nowhere, just remember I told you so!" he shouted up at her before she slammed her bedroom door.

Kagome sighed as she leaned back against her door. Her little brother was now thirteen and had just shot up. He was almost taller than her now and sometimes seemed as though he was more mature that her with an annoying chunk of common sense. _'Damn growth spurts… Damn puberty…' _

She threw her bag on the floor and threw herself on the bed almost gratefully. She buried her face in her pillow and relished in its softness. She turned over and looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes were closed and she was just feeling the cool wind on her skin as it blew through her window. She figured her mother must've opened it earlier to that the room wouldn't be so cooped up.

Then, the sound of knocking entered her hearing. She rolled over again and groaned, her blue shirt and cream skirt wrinkling somewhat.

"Kagome? Are you in there?" her mother's voice said from behind the door.

"Yes, mom…" she replied lazily.

"How was school, dear?"

"It was okay…"

"Are you all right?"

"I'm just tired, mom… I just want to get some rest…"

"All right then…"

Kagome sighed and listened as he r mother's soft footsteps faded as she walked down the stairs. He mother seemed to worry more about her now that she wasn't traveling back and forth through times. It was kind of awkward now that she was no longer in any trouble of attracting demons. But, it was probably that her mother thought that she was missing her friends. This was true, of course.

She opened her eyes and brought up the jewel that hung from her neck in front of her. It was dull. The shine that it once held was now just a small glint that wasn't even there for most of the time. It was as if the jewel had shut down when the well had stopped as well. For a brief moment though, Kagome thought she saw something, but mentally disregarded it as her imagination playing tricks on her again.

"Why won't you let me go back?" she asked it, shifting if in her fingers every other second.

She turned to rest on her other side and continued to stare at the seemingly dead jewel. Then, she sighed and let it fall from her fingers and land beside her, lying innocently on her sea of hair.

"This is so stupid…" she talked to herself. "Why am I talking to a stupid rock? It's not like it's going to talk back…"

She groaned and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "What am I going to do about that report…? Ichihara-sensei won't let me change my topic… If only I had Myouga to help me…"

Kagome turned again to rest on her back again. She stared at her ceiling again for a while before she let the waves of sleep wash over her. She drifted into her dream world as her eyes became heavy until they finally fell. She turned to her side and tangled her legs in her blanket as she did. She rested her hand on her pillow, the Shikon no Tama resting next to her neck.

As Kagome slept soundly, the jewel glinted a soft pink, a subtle wave of power beating continuously from within it.

**TBC… **


	3. Fruitless Attempts

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Two: Fruitless Attempts**

Sango slowly dipped down and watched indolently as the water from the stream filled the bamboo basin that Kaede had loaned her. A few loose hairs fell from her shoulders and shined in the fading sunlight as she turned and headed back towards Kaede's village. Her oversized boomerang was strapped securely to her back in case of any attack and Kirara followed her shortly behind.

Upon entering the village, she was greeted by the young children. She smiled as they gathered around her and welcomed her and Kirara back. They had only been gone for a few minutes, but to the children, it always seemed like forever. After entertaining a few of their questions, Sango sent them back to their homes and made her way back to Kaede's hut with Kirara.

When she went into the small hut, she was greeted with the same silence that had continuously been there for the passed four years. As usual, Shippou sat by Kaede, helping the old priestess grind some herbs to make ointment or other medicines that would be given to the villagers later. Against the wall opposite of them sat Miroku, who was quietly sipping his tea while he kept his eyes on the fire currently cooking their supper. In the darkest corner of the hut sat Inuyasha. The hanyou seemed to be in deep thought with his eyes concentrated on the flame just like Miroku.

For some time now, he had been like this. He now refused to fight any demon that attacked unless they were unable to handle them without his help. And for days at a time, Inuyasha would disappear but could either be found at the Bone-Eater's well or the Sacred Tree. They often followed him during these moments, hiding behind bushes and trees to watch him. They knew he could tell that they were there, but he didn't seem to care at all. He just sat in his usual spot at the Sacred Tree or he just stood rooted to his spot next to the Bone-Eater's well as he did nothing but peer down into it. Sometimes, he'd even jump down into the well nonstop in hopes that it would somehow bring him to Kagome's era, but only succeeded in making himself look like a fool. Often, they literally had to drag him and lock him inside the hut with sacred sutras plastered all over the outside.

It was as if nothing was normal again after Kagome had never come back from the well despite Naraku's defeat. But in an effort to try and keep the normality, they all tried to make the best of their situation. Shippou remained his talkative cheerful self around the village children though he was silent whenever he was at the hut and never bothered to fight with Inuyasha anymore. Miroku still wore his rosary beads around his right hand and occasionally asked the village beauties to bear his children. Sango, of course, beat him on the head and dragged him back the hut. Whenever he groped her, she slapped him as usual. But even with the somewhat desperate humor, nothing really made things better.

Sango walked over to Kaede and placed the basin down next to her. She then untied her weapon and rested it against the wall. She sat down as Kaede offered her some tea and stared into the fire as well. Her hands stroked Kirara's fur absently as the soft flickering of the fire splayed all over her features. Her eyes then shifted from the fire to Inuyasha's darkened figure in the corner of the room.

She opened her mouth, but Miroku suddenly cut in, "Inuyasha, did you feel it too?"

Inuyasha didn't look at him and kept his gaze fixated on the fire. His ears perkedat the sound of Miroku's mention of his name, but he remained silent.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said in a sterner voice, "I know you must have felt that surge of power from the direction of the well."

Everyone else in the hut paused from whatever they were doing and waited patiently for Inuyasha's reaction. However, the hanyou did not budge or even so much as twitched as he stared at the fire. It was as if he had blocked whatever Miroku had said from entering his head and continued on as if he did not hear or notice that they were there. Where Inuyasha would usually growl and stomp over to threaten Miroku, he gave no sound or action of any sort to show that he cared about anything that had just been said.

"Inuyasha," Miroku tried again, but he still didn't get a response from Inuyasha.

Sango turned to the monk. "Miroku," she said, "Just leave him be… I don't think we should bother him right now."

Miroku sighed dejectedly and returned to the now empty teacup that was placed in front of him. Sango filled it with freshly brewed tea and he watched as she returned to her seat beside Kaede and Shippou. For many times during the last four years, he had not been in the mood to grope his exterminator friend due to frustrating times, and this was one of those moments. Trying to add such desperate humor to the situation would only make things worse. Besides, he'd have to suffer for it anyway…

"She's not coming back…"

Miroku looked up from his tea with a thoroughly surprised look on his face. He stared at Inuyasha's slightly darkened figure in the corner of the room. That was basically the forst time he had heard the hanyou's voice in three months.

"She's not coming back…" Inuyasha said again quietly. After a brief moment of uncomfortable silence, he suddenly banged his fist on the wooden floor as a growl escaped his lips. His head was bent down in a way that his bangs concealed his eyes from sight. Then, he stood and ran out the door.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku stood immediately and ran out the door to follow Inuyasha, but when he looked out into the darkening atmosphere outside, the hanyou was already gone. He was about to take off and search for Inuyasha until a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Miroku looked down and saw Kaede holding him back.

She shook her head slowly and led him back inside. She sat back down and continued grinding herbs with Shippou. "Leave him be, Miroku," she said. "Inuyasha is in a great deal of pain still. He must learn to cope with this pain and finally accept what had happened."

"Kaede-sama," Miroku frowned, "I refuse to believe that Kagoma-sama will not come back to us. I know that it's pointless to think that way, but I just have this feeling in my gut that I just can't ignore…"

Sango stirred the stew on the fire and sighed. "I have the same feeling to… But…"

"Inuyasha's losing hope. Because Kagome is gone, he feels lost," Kaede interjected.

Sango sighed and placed a bowl of stew in front of each of them and even left one for Inuyasha should he come back. "He's taken Kagome's disappearance the hardest among all of us…"

Kaede folded her hands on her lap and looked at the doorway, "I believe ye are right. He is deeply wounded and unless Kagome should come back, if there be a chance, I fear for Inuyasha."

"It's best we leave him alone for now," Miroku suggested.

Shippou crossed his arms and 'hmph'ed, "That's isn't a very good idea, Miroku. Inuyasha might do something stupid!"

Miroku sighed and nodded in agreement, "Yes, you do have a point…"

The forest was completely silent with the exception of the sounds of crickets as Inuyasha followed his night kissed path. The moon shined brightly in the shape of a crescent and the air was heavy with the scent of the night's dew as the moonlight that cascaded from the canopy of the surrounding trees cast a shadowy silhouette on Inuyasha. However, the half-demon paid no attention to the beauty of the night around him and merely kept his mind set on his destination.

At the moment, he just needed to get away from everyone. Too many thoughts invaded his mind and he needed to sort out each and every one of them; otherwise, he'd go crazy. Unfortunately, this task would prove difficult for him since he usually just acted on impulse, not on planning or contemplation.

He had felt it, what Miroku had told him earlier, no doubt about that. But after all the failing attempts in the past, he was just all ready to give up on the well. He had lost count of all the times he had chosen to jump down the well in hopes of seeing Kagome one more time. But all of them only led to him ending up back in a hut at the edge of the village tied up, in a state of unruliness, and his bottom aching.

Now, he wasn't about to believe that that well might just work this time. He didn't want to be much more of a fool than he already was, but there was still something in him that refuse to give up hope that Kagome would come back.

Inuyasha growled with irritation as he began to walk faster. _'Damn it!'_ Then, he broke into a run and without thinking, ended up standing in front of the Bone-Eater's well once again. He shook his head and grumbled something under his breath before turning around. However, he was stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a huge pulse emanate from within the well itself.

He turned back wide-eyed and without another moment's thought, he jumped inside the well. He felt the familiar warm sensation of the well's power wash over his body as a blue light swirled all around him and illuminated the inner walls. Once his feet touched ground, the sensation and light passed and he quickly looked up only to be bewildered by a starry sky look down at him from the well's mouth.

Confused, the half-demon jumped out of the well. There was no shrine, no courtyard, but trees and grass. He was still in the feudal era. He shook his head in disbelief and snarled loudly as he punched the nearest tree, breaking it in half. He was about to draw the Tetsusaiga to destroy even more trees until something heavy came down on his head and everything went black.

Miroku knelt next to Inuyasha's unconscious body and poked him with the tip of his staff to make sure that the hanyou was really out cold. Then, Miroku tied his and feet then placed sacred sutras on them. They would place him in a hut near the edge of the village later and seal that with sutras as well.

The monk sighed exasperatedly as he stood up and shook his head. Shippou was poking Inuyasha's ear with a twig while Sango adjusted her boomerang, the very thing they had used to knock their friend out.

"I told you!" Shippou said as he jumped up.

"The well must have rejected him again," Sango she bent forward to look at Inuyasha's unconscious self.

Miroku nodded as he stood next to the demon slayer. "Yes, I think that's the case…"

Sango straightened and stretched her arms. However, her body suddenly went rigid as her face flared red. She quickly grabbed her hiraikotsu and swung it furiously at Miroku, succeeding in knocking him out as well.

"The nerve!" she glared at Miroku as he fell to the ground.

"He still hasn't learned his lesson has he?" Shippou sighed as he poked the red bump protruding out of Miroku'd head with the twig he had used to poke Inuyasha's ear.

**TBC…**


	4. Prelude to Many Misunderstandings

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu **

**Chapter Three: Prelude to Many Misunderstandings **

Kagome yawned and stretched out her arms as the dim morning light filtered into her room and as she sat up in bed. She lazily slipped out and made her way to her door. Grabbing the towel from the hanger, she exited her room and walked into the bathroom as yet another yawn escaped from her mouth. After she finished her morning necessities, she walked back to her room and got dress. As she grabbed her bag, she placed a hand over her stomach to quell the growl that sounded from within. Kagome groaned and shouldered her bag. She had slept through dinner last night and she'd have no time to eat now since she was going to be late if she didn't leave. Apparently, her alarm clock hadn't gone off.

She growled in frustration and ran down the stairs as fast as she could without falling down. After making a quick dash to the kitchen for a piece of toast, she ran out the door at top speed. Her mother blinked and looked down at her watch. _'I wonder why she's in such a hurry this morning? It's not even seven yet…' _

Kagome ran as fast as she to her college, not taking enough care to notice how slightly dark the sky still was and how deserted the sidewalks and streets were. After turning at several corners, she finally stopped at the school gate, leaning against it and trying desperately to catch her breath. Once she got her breathing almost normal, she proceeded to walk inside and was surprised to find that the place was deserted save for the usual early-goers and janitors.

Then, something hit her. _'No! My stupid alarm clock must've died on me again!'_ She growled and stomped upstairs to see if anyone else was here. The hallway was still slightly dim since the sun, she finally noticed, had just actually started rising up into the sky. She groaned in frustration and collapsed on a nearby bench. She buried her face in her hands and sighed heavily.

"Higurashi-san, are you all right?"

Kagome looked up and saw Ichihara-sensei standing in front of her with a coffee cup in one hand and under his arm as his other hand was buried in his pocket. Instead of answering him, she noticed for once how young he was. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and was, Kagome confessed to herself, quite handsome. His attire was a bit more casual than usual. He wore a green sweater over a white dress shirt that was not tucked in and a pair loose-fitting jeans. In a sense, he looked more like a student than an actual teacher.

Ichihara-sensei cleared his throat and walked closer towards her, "Higurashi-san, are you all right?"

Kagome blinked and stood suddenly. "Um, yes… sir…!" she said as she picked up her bag.

He adjusted his classes and glanced at his wristwatch. "Like I asked you earlier, why are you here so early, Higurahi-san? Don't you usually come just before the bell rings?"

Kagome explained to him how she woke up and thought she was about to be late this morning. She told him how maybe her alarm clock was out of batteries or that her brother stole the batteries for his CD player. Ichihara-sensei shook his head and gave one of his good-natured chuckles. He told her to follow him up to the classroom so she wouldn't have to wait outside. After all, her first class was in his class and it was quite chilly outside.

She followed Ichihara-sensei as he led her upstairs. That's when she first noticed how long his hair was. It fell to his mid-back and was a rich shade of auburn. It was tied back in a loose-horsetail and the end swayed side to side as he walked. It sort of reminded her of how Inuyasha's hair swayed back and forth when he'd walk as the rest of the shard hunters followed behind him. Ichihara-sensei was just about as tall as Inuyasha too.

He opened the door and Kagome stepped in. She walked to her usual seat and placed her bag on her chair. Ichihara-sensei walked over to his desk and placed his things down before starting to sort through some of the papers scattered on the top of his desk. Kagome studied him from the corner of her eyes and for some reason, had the feeling that he knew that she was looking at him.

"Higurashi-san, come here please," he said as he opened a fairly big book. He flipped through the pages of the book, apparently looking for something.

Kagome jumped slightly from the sound of his voice being so stern and quickly scrambled over to his desk. He did not look up at her once she stopped in front of his desk, but merely continue searching through the archaic book. While scanned a certain page, curiosity was tugging at Kagome and she leaned slightly forward to see what he was looking at, but he closed the book and looked up, their faces just inches apart. Kagome blushed and backed away quickly.

"Umm, yes, Ichihara-sensei?" she asked as she mentally tried to suppress the red on her cheeks.

Her teacher sighed and ran his fingers over the cover of the book. He sat down in his chair and kept his eyes on the book. He then cleared his throat but still dit not look up. "This book," he said, "belongs to a very good friend of mine…"

Kagome remained quiet since she knew he would continue. She stared down at the book and noticed some sort of inscription on the corner as well as an emblem that she couldn't quite make out. She couldn't recognize the characters but decided that maybe it was some form of old Chinese handwriting or something.

Ichihara-sensei shook his head, discarding something that he had been thinking of earlier. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his chin on his clasped hands. "I was able to get borrow this book from him. He's not keen on lending old family belonging such as this, but I manage to get his to fork it over. You're free to use it for you project if you wish," he paused for a moment, but continued on. "It has a collection of numerous stories that date back to who knows how long and I'm sure you'll be able to make good use of it…"

Kagome blinked and stared down at the book presented to her. "You're willing to lend this to me?"

He nodded and pushed the book towards her. "Yes. I was able to get it yesterday just after class. However, you must be careful with it. As you can clearly see, it's very old. My friend pays very close attention to detail; just don't forget to leave this book anywhere dangerous. I really don't want to see his scary side again…"

"But," Kagome said as she ran her fingers over the cover, "Why do I need this whole book? Aren't I just supposed to write on one topic?"

Ichihara-sensei nodded, "Yes, but your project is a bit different from the rest of the class."

"Different?"

He nodded again, "You're going to have to figure some or more of the stories are related to your topic. You've missed quite a bit of class so you'll have to catch up using this project assignment."

Kagome's eyebrow twitched. As she stared down at the book, she began to notice how big it was. The thickness resembled that of a 500-some paged book, but the only problem was that it was big in width and length. She gulped and her mind worked to try and figure out just exactly how she was going to do this as well as be able to turn it on time. Ichihara-sensei was never really forgiving when it came to late work.

"Is there something wrong?" the said teacher asked her as he noticed the expression on her face.

"Well… No, nothing… Never mind…" she said as she sighed and picked up the book.

Ichihara-sensei drank a bit of his coffee and glance at the newspaper he had opened up on his desk. He smiled reassuringly and turned the page. "Don't worry so much," he said, "You're quite an intelligent girl, Higurashi-san. I'm sure you'd do quite well on this. Besides, you have… about five or so months… Sort of…"

"Sort of?"

"Yes well, that depends on circumstance. Certain situations may cause me to change the due date and make it earlier. Then again, I did borrow the book for you so there shouldn't be any worries on your end." With that, he raised the newspaper in front of him to cover his face and to proceed to read whatever had caught his interest.

Kagome sighed and walked back to her desk, managing to squeeze the book into her bag with a little bit of difficulty. Then, she decided to leave the classroom and stand by the door for a bit. She glared at a branch outside of the window and grumbled to herself. "Easy for you to say," she said, "You're the teacher…"

"Kagome!"

She turned her head at the sound of a familiar voice. Her little groups of friends were bounding down the hall towards her. For some reason, they were giving her suspicious looks as they got closer and closer. Once they finally got to her, one of them shut the door to Ichihara-sensei's classroom and then came together to create a barricade around her, making a way for escape impossible.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked slightly nervous.

"What going on, Kagome" one of them asked her.

Kagome looked at her as if she was crazy and crossed her hand over her chest. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean!"

"You know, with Ichihara-sensei!" the other one butt in.

"Wha--! You guys must be nuts or something! Ichihara is our teacher!" Kagome said as they all giggled at her blush.

The last one looked at her closely. "Is that the truth, or are you hiding something from us?"

The first one gasped and covered her mouth, "Does that--!"

Kagome shook her head in despair. Her friends had truly gotten whacked on the head somewhere. Sure, Ichihara-sensei wasn't so old that it would be weird, but he was their teacher for kami's sake! They should know that student-teacher relationships were prohibited. She was about to burst when a voice came from behind her. "Good morning, girls, but I believe that you're blocking my doorway…"

They all stepped out of the way and let Ichihara-sensei through. He had a pile of papers in his hands and it was clear that he needed to be somewhere. He smiled at Kagome making her smile and her friends at her more. With that, he walked down that hall with all the girls except for Kagome staring at his back. When he was finally out of sight, they pushed Kagome into the room and continued on with their interrogation.

Kagome glared at her friends and stomped out of the room, but the pulled her back in by her two arms and blocked the door. "Will you drop it already!" she yelled, felling yet another headache come on.

"Then why did you come so early Kagome? We saw you talking to him through the door," the second one said.

Kagome closed her eyes and explained to them everything that had happened since her wake-up fiasco earlier in the morning. As they began to understand more and more, though very slowly, Kagome could feel her frayed nerves relieve themselves and just as everyone else and Ichihara-sensei entered the room for the start of class, she had managed to get them off her back until she could find a way to escape from their clutches.

* * *

Kagome exhaustedly made her way up the stairs of her family's shrine just as she did the day before, the afternoon sun waning ever so slightly. She walked through the courtyard until she was in front of the well house. She glanced at it and sighed, to tired to think of anything in particular other than getting some much needed sleep. As she walked away though, her body and the well house seemed to pulse. She gasped and stared at the door of the well house. It kept pulsing a similar power to that of last time.

Hesitantly, Kagome slid open the door and stepped inside. She walked down to the well, leaving her bag by the door, and stared inside, but it seemed normal despite what she felt around her. She reached into her blouse and pulled out the Shikon jewel, however, it remained as it had been, dull, despite what she thought to be a glint. She shook her head and walked closer to the well. But once her hand touched the rim of the well, the oulsing sensation flared and a blue light from within the well glowed upwards.

Suddenly, Kagome let out a scream as she was lifted up from her feet into the air. Her body floated right above the well, her face towards the blue light. As she struggled around, she noticed the jewel floating with her, still attached to the necklace around her neck. One second it was dim and lifeless, but as she stared at it, it flashed with a remarkable pink light rivaling that of the well. She grabbed it with her hand as her body went upright in the air and felt as the warmth it held once before was returning. But all of a sudden, whatever was levitating her in the air stopped and she dropped directly into the well.

Kagome screamed as blue light engulfed her. The brilliant blue light of the well flashed brighter for an instant, filling the whole room with light, then it dimmed out slowly. As the pulsing and light disappeared, Kagome was gone.

**TBC…**

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	5. Moonlit Destination

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Four: Moonlit Destination**

The sound of crickets and a light breeze echoed through the trees. The sky was dark and was dotted with glittering stars. The moon shone brightly in the sky, only halfway showing, but showing such a luminescent light on the world. The moonlight filtered through the canopy of nearby trees and showered the Bone-Eater's well in soft light. The light bounced along the inner walls of the well and shone on the form of a young woman.

A groan escaped from her as she fluttered her eyes open. She slowly sat up and placed a hand on her head. She blinked away the blurriness in her eyes and looked up to see a night sky. Kagome's eyes widened and she pulled herself up to lean on a wall of the well. She looked at the vine next to her and tugged on it to check if it would support her weight before hoisting herself up. Once she was close enough, Kagome grabbed onto the lip of the well and poked her head out to look around.

The trees swayed to the rhyme of the wind and created a sort of dance with the light glowing down from the moon. The smell of the night's air was just as she had remembered it. Kagome took in a deep breath and pulled herself out of the well. She touched her feet on the ground, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. _'How-how did… How did I… get here?'_

Slowly, Kagome turned around and looked down into the well. After all those years, why had it only worked now? Kagome reached into her shirt and pulled out the Shikon jewel. Her eyes widened as she looked down at it. The Shikon jewel glowed a soft pink, far from the dull rock it was the day before. It felt warm in her hand and gave of a subtle pulse. But unlike back then, the jewel was complete.

Kagome slipped it back in her shirt and looked up. She spotted the old path she had followed when she'd make her way to Kaede's village. It was more rugged that before, showing that no one had traveled this way in quite a while. It was a bit overgrown with the underbrush and was littered with fallen leaves since in a few weeks it would be the start of autumn.

She walked down the back, jumping over a few puddles and fallen branches along the way. The moonlight that seeped through the canopy of the trees danced around her, creating shadowy silhouettes on the tree trucks and bushes she passed by. The sound of crickets echoed throughout the area and a light breeze blew passed every other moment, succeeding in pulling a few more leaves from the tree branches.

Kagome halted in her steps and looked down the gentle slope leading down from the edge of the forest. At the end of the path was Kaede's village. A few lights from fires were still lit due to it still being somewhat early in the evening. She could even see a few people walk around outside their houses, tending to whatever they were doing. Kagome took a deep breath and walked down the rest of the path, however, she stopped just before the edge of the village. She looked into the village and saw quite a few more people that she thought were out of their houses, then she decided to go around.

She could hear people chatting cheerfully about the day's accomplishments and preparing for bed or the next day's work. Even some of the children, she could hear, were still awake, playing or talking before their mothers would usher them to bed. Then, she paused as she heard familiar voices.

"You really don't know when to quit it do you, monk? How many more times should Sango hit you before you die?"

"Don't touch me!"

"Miroku!"

"It's no use, Shippou. Sooner or later, Miroku's gonna get himself killed with his stupid antics!"

The wind blew; Kagome's clothes ruffling somewhat while her hair fell down to frame her face. She walked to the side of the house she was behind and stared across the street to a small hut with light sifting through the straw mat acting as a door. She leaned against the outer wall of the house next to her and she looked up at the steps to the village shrine. A red torii gate stood at the entrance, blocking the moon somewhat from sight.

She could hear all the ruckus inside the hut, Kaede's hut and she just wanted to cry right there from all the memories pouring back from the back of her mind. They were so close, yet she couldn't help but wonder if they'd forgotten about her, or if they'd changed into different people from the ones she knew back then. She wondered if they'd even thought about her or missed her the least bit.

Kagome gripped the bottom of her shirt tightly and gritted her teeth as she stared at the hut. She tore he gaze away to look at the ground as she contemplated what to do. Then, she took yet another deep breathe and slowly walked towards, not caring if any of the villagers saw her. But, she stopped just before the straw mat, her hand hovering in front of her, preparing to pull the mat aside. She gently bit her lip and stared at the mat hesitantly, but without another moment of lingering further, she quickly swept the mat aside and looked into the hut.

The hut suddenly fell quiet and everyone just stopped in the middle of what they were doing. Kagome's heart was beating fast but she just stood frozen in the doorway as if she thought she was dreaming. Her feet refused to move despite her heart's orders. Her fingered itched to hug all of them, but she just couldn't move, as if there was some force keeping her in place.

They all stared at her in disbelief, their eyes wide. Kaede was frozen in place, her wooden ladle filled with stew as she held an empty bowl under it. Sango was holding her boomerang while Miroku was under it, apparently just hit but not unconscious. Shippou was on Sango's shoulder and was trying to stop the demon slayer before she came in. Even Kirara was wide-eyed as she sat on the floor. Inuyasha, who was in one corner of the hut, was frozen in a position where he was already half way through his food. A blob of stew had fallen of his pants because of the slanted way he was holding the bowl, but she didn't seem to notice because his attention, as well as everyone else's, was on her.

Shippou shook his head and moved his mouth as if he had not voice. Sango dropped her boomerang, letting its full weight fall on Miroku. Inuyasha stood up suddenly, dropping his bowl on floor. He blinked and moved his mouth to speak.

"Kagome?"

**TBC… **

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	6. Reunion of Sorts

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Five: A Reunion of Sorts**

"Kagome?"

The missing girl they had all been longing to see for the passed four years now stood in front of them, and obvious as it was, they couldn't believe their eyes. She wasn't in the green clothes that they were so accustomed to her wearing, but they were different, confirming that it truly was her.

Inuyasha stepped closer to her, his eyes wide with disbelief. Four years of waiting and it really did happen. She was back, but was he dreaming? His hands itched to hold her, but he was afraid that if he went to her, she would just disappear again without a trace. He hesitated, but the light evening breeze blew through the entrance of the hut, her sweet long-missed scent wafting up to tease his nose, erasing the doubt in his mind.

Without any further hesitation, he reached for her and pulled her to him, disregarding that the others were watching him. Inuyasha felt her body tense from the contact but she relaxed after a short second. Inuyasha held her tighter as if she was his only hope of survival left in the world; Kagome rested her chin on his shoulder in response, her hands grabbing tightly to his haori.

"Inuyasha…" she said softly.

Inuyasha could smell the salt of the tears that started to well up Kagome's eyes. He smoothed a hand over her hair to comfort her, but his attention was torn away when he felt a tug on his pant leg. He pulled away and looked down to see Shippou with pleading eyes. The poor fox was aching to hug Kagome and it seemed as though Inuyasha was hogging her all to himself.

Kagome pulled away and knelt down, catching Shippou in her arms as more and more tears fell from her eyes. She smiled warmly down at the red head of hair in her arms and laughed happily through soft sobs. Soon, the demon slayer and monk joined in, comforting her and hugging her tightly, somewhat crushing Shippou in the process.

The corners of Kaede's mouth lifted as she surveyed the reunion. After just a few more moments, the life that had been lost to the group was back. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he had blurted something out that seemed to upset the young girl and since he was still under the subduing spell, the hanyou's face soon met the cold surface of the ground.

"You jerk! I spent all this time worrying about you and all you can say is 'Took you long enough'!" Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs. "Sit! Sit! Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT!"

Kagome towered over Inuyasha's hunched form on the ground, a somewhat large dent in the ground that surrounded the hanyou. Kagome's face was red with soft anger with remnant of the tears from earlier still on her cheeks. A frown was set on her face, but despite the overall façade, one could tell by her eyes that Kagome was just happy.

"But Kagome! Do you really have to leave?"

Kagome bent down next to Shippou, who was doing his best watery eye technique to try to get her to stay. He was growing up, taller than he had been before and a lot harder to believe in his childish technique. Kagome ruffled his red hair and smiled reassuringly. "Come one, Shippou," she said, "I know my family must be very worried about me. Don't worry. I'll come back, I promise."

Inuyasha was impatiently waiting for Kagome by the doorway. His arms were folded across his chest and his ears twitched from irritation of being made to wait. He shifted slightly, Kagome noticing this and sighing, quite annoyed a how Inuyasha hadn't changed a bit.

"Be careful Kagome," Sango said as she watched her friend straighten and step toward Inuyasha.

Kagome nodded. With one final smile, she exited the hut with Inuyasha and followed closely behind him under the night. All the villagers had retreated into their huts for the night, only a few of the households emanating the soft glow of oil lamps of fires. It was silent save for their footsteps, the sound of crickets, and the occasional breeze blowing against the trees.

They followed the path that led to the well, the same path Kagome had used earlier in the evening. Both of them, however, were silent, thinking if they should say something, or if there was anything to say at all. The moon seemed to glow down particularly on them, casting a dark shadow on everything around them.

After a while, the silence became uncomfortable, making Kagome's inside twitch uneasily as she followed Inuyasha. She thought back to when he had hugged her earlier. It was a strange feeling, like she was being choked by something that she just couldn't explain. It reminded her of the feeling before he had taken her jewel shards and pushed her down the well for her own safety. But this time, it was different in a way.

Finally they reached the clearing that held that ancient well that had started everything. The moonlight washed over the aged wood, a few clouds casting soft shadow every other moment. Kagome walked forward and leaned against the edge of the well, peeking inside it. She sighed. She really didn't want to go back just yet, but she was sure her mother was worried sick about her.

Kagome straightened and turned around. She stared mostly at the ground after a brief glance up at Inuyasha, who was standing a few feet away, staring at her and more attentive than usual. Kagome knew that he was acting this way because of her long disappearance, but it was still a very much an uncomfortable situation for her.

Hesitantly, she looked up and gave him a simple smile. "I wish I could stay a bit longer," she said honestly, "But I should be getting home. I don't want them worrying too much about me."

Inuyasha didn't say anything, but he just stood there and listened to her talk. He had missed her voice.

"I'll try and come back tomorrow, okay?" Kagome said before she turned to face the well once again. She touched her hand to the rim of the well, but she paused for a bit, her eyebrows furrowing. _'Will it close on me again?' _

"Promise me you'll come back…"

Kagome's head jerked up and she turned around. Inuyasha was turned away from her, a light breeze blowing at his clothes and his silver hair. His voice was different, as if… he was afraid…

"Promise me, Kagome…"

She nodded, "I promise… Don't worry too much, Inuyasha… I'll come back just like I promised Shippou too."

Inuyasha didn't turn back to her. Kagome sighed and took one last glance at Inuyasha before jumping down the well. The blue light and warm sensation her trip between world always had washed over her, and she was gone.

The wind blew cold, the trees rustling. Inuyasha looked up slightly and narrowed his eyes. He could smell blood and death all the way back from the beginning of the path into the forest. It troubled him, so he got Kagome to the well quickly without being too obvious. He just didn't want to risk her being attacked by a demon.

A loud rustle sounded from a nearby bush and instinctively, Inuyasha's hand hovered above Tetsusaiga's hilt, preparing for an attack. However, a young woman stumbled from behind the bush and fell to the ground. She was dressed in miko garb and she was bleeding heavily from a wound in her side. Inuyasha watched as she tried to reach for something she had dropped, her arm outstretched in front of her.

Suddenly, a demon appeared above her, but before it could attack, Inuyasha sprung forward and sliced it in half. The demons destroyed body fell to the ground as Inuyasha sheathed his sword. He looked around to make sure nothing else was there and then looked down at the priestess.

She was leaning against the base of a tree, clutching her side while she struggled to catch her breath. She held her bow in her other hand. Inuyasha could tell she was fighting to stay conscious because her eyes drooped slightly, but she was forcing them open. He knelt down on one knee in front of her and examined her.

"What happened?" he asked.

She gave no response, but she looked up at him. Her eyes held such turmoil that he was taken aback. He asked her again, but she gripped her side painfully and fell forward. Inuyasha frowned and picked her up, heading towards back to Kaede's village to get her taken a look at before death could get to her.

**TBC… **

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	7. The Scroll of Earth

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Six: The Scroll of Earth**

Death permeated the air as Sesshoumaru walked through the remains of a village he had chanced upon. More than half of the village was burned down and a multitude of bodies, demon and human alike, littered the ground. The stench was horrible, to put it lightly, and the demon lord mentally flinched from the offensive odor the area omitted.

From what he could decipher from the remains, the villagers had tried to fight back, but apparently, to no avail. From the overall standpoint, it had clearly been a one-sided massacre. The villagers had been slaughtered and their homes destroyed in the process. It was a human village, but the fact that it was a village under the protection of his domain made it his concern.

Sesshoumaru walked passed mangled body after mangled body, his eyes scanning the area closely for any signs of the reason for the attack. His golden eyes soon led him up a path into the mountain forest next to the village. Even more bodies were scattered up the path. Most were the elderly, women, and children who most likely fled the village to the place that path led to for refuge, but the demons had eventually caught up to them in their great numbers. Because the all of the capable men were left protecting the village, the escapees were left defenseless against the unexpected attack.

As he neared the end of the path, the bodies of humans began to lessen, indicating that perhaps the objective was to get to where this path led. Sesshoumaru emerged from the trees and halted in his steps. It was another building, a shrine of sorts, but it was in ruins just like the rest of the village.

The bodies of two villagers who had attempted to protect the shrine lay on the grass of the clearing that didn't seem to be damaged by the flame. Their blood marred the grass and a few feet away from them were their weapons, mere tools they used for their farming, perhaps affective if their opponents were not demon.

Sesshoumaru turned slightly a sound coming from the ruins of the shrine. He narrowed his eyes, ready for attack at any moment. He watched closely as a thin board of fallen wood lifted up slightly as something emerged from the ruble. However, Sesshoumaru soon realized that it was just a young woman, though she wore the attire of a priestess. She didn't seem injured, just a little fazed from the happenings, and she was holding a young child in her arms, a girl. The little girl little girl was deathly pale, her heart not beating anymore.

Sesshoumaru turned around and was going to walk away when an intense beating from the Tensaiga stopped him. He glanced down at the sword and frowned slightly before the pulsing stopped. He took a step, but the sword pulsed again, this time, however, it was stronger. The sword would not let up its fight and he stared down at it coldly. To stop its annoying pulsing, the demon lord unsheathed it and turned around. The young priestess saw him take out his sword and her eyes widened.

The demon lord walked over to stand next to her, his form towering above her. He stared down at the little girl in her arms passively and raised his sword. Distressed, the priestess tried to stop him, but she was so exhausted that nothing really helped. She held the girl tighter, attempting to shield her with her body, but Sesshoumaru pushed her away before swinging down.

The priestess screamed, much to Sesshoumaru's displeasure, and tried to kick him but to no avail. She stopped and quieted though, when he gave her a cold glare. He tipped the point of his sword towards the little girl and the priestess looked over her to find no injury, but instead, completely healed from all her other wounds.

"Who attacked this village? Tell me," Sesshoumaru asked indifferently as he sheathed Tensaiga and turned around.

The priestess looked up at his back momentarily before dropping her head. "Many demons just came and attacked our village. The men told the elderly, the women, and children to run to this shrine along with those two men for protection."

The girl choked on her words as her eyes started to water, "But the demons that attacked the village soon came after the sacred scroll that was in the shrine. They killed all the villagers and came for us."

"Our older sister, the head priestess here, told us to run to the next village for safety while she led the rest of the demons away with the scroll. But before my younger sister and I could escape, the demons set fire to our shrine. Our sister managed to get away, but I'm not certain if she's alive or not."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he listened. The demons were after what they protected in their shrine. Most likely, whatever was there was something that they could have made great use of. Most probably, it was something they could use to increase their power.

"My family had protected the scroll of earth for two centuries. How could this happen? I've failed them all…" The priestess looked up to see no one there. Whoever he was that saved her little sister, had disappeared.

* * *

"Rin, you impudent child, get back here at once!"

A toad-like creature jumped out of a bush, out of breathe and apparently, very, very annoyed. He applied pressure on his unusual staff to keep him upright, and slowly, he looked up, mildly glaring at the young child who was chasing a small butterfly. He sighed tiredly and stepped into the clearing blooming with a variety of flowers to retrieve his master's young ward.

"Look, Jaken-sama!" The little girl turned around and bent down slightly. The girl had something clasped in her hands and she smiled at the toad cheerfully.

Jaken narrowed his eyes momentarily before leaning forward to see what the young girl was showing him. He watched as she slowly opened her hands to reveal the butterfly she was pursuing earlier. It flapped its wings and once it realized an opportunity for escape was present, it lifted into the air and flew off somewhere in the field. The toad shook his head dejectedly and straightened with a stern look on his face.

"Stop playing around, Rin. Sesshoumaru-sama will be back any moment now," he said, "If you go missing again--"

"Look, Jaken-sama! Aren't they pretty?" Rin interrupted him, lightly shoving a bouquet of wild flowers in his face.

"Uuh!" he grunted angrily, "You aren't listening to me!"

"Do you think Sesshoumaru-sama will like these?"

Jaken pushed the flowers away and gave a small sneeze before answering. "Of course not! Sesshoumaru-sama wouldn't waste time for such trivial things! Come now, Rin!"

Jaken turned and started walking back to their original clearing, but after hearing laughter from the girl, he turned around again. She had ignored everything he had said and was off in the middle of the field picking even more flowers for the already huge bouquet in her hands. After muttering something about annoying good-for-nothing human spawn, he stomped over to her, leaving a trail of flattened flowers behind him.

"Rin!" he shouted.

"Yes, Jaken-sam—Sesshoumaru-sama!" With the biggest smile in the world at the moment, Rin pushed passed Jaken and practically knocked him down. The girl ran to the armor-clad demon at the edge of the clearing, flailing the bouquet merrily in the air, losing quite a few of the flowers in the process.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" the toad servant said as he looked up from the dirt. However, the demon lord was already leaving, Rin following closely behind him.

"Wait!" Jaken said, dusting himself off quickly and pushing himself off the ground. "Sesshoumaru-sama, please don't leave me again!"

Sesshoumaru stared at the path in front of him apathetically. Whoever destroyed that village wanted that scroll. However, what was its purpose? _'The scroll of earth…' _

**TBC…**

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	8. Kitsu

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Seven: Kitsu**

Kagome sighed as she walked down the sidewalk, an old book in one hand, and a grocery bag filled with pocky and ramen in the other hand. She wanted to go back to the well today, but she figured that she'd bring a few things for her friends. Besides, Inuyasha'd probably ask for the ramen anyway and Shippou for the pocky. Kagome rounded the corner but because she wasn't really paying as much attention, she crashed into someone and dropped everything but the book that Ichihara had loaned her.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention! It's all my fault!" Kagome knelt down and started picking up her stuff. Other things, besides the pocky and ramen where scattered on the ground and she guessed it belonged to whomever she bumped into. She reached for a small book when a hand entered her line of vision. She looked up and saw a familiar redheaded man with glasses.

"Ichihara-sensei! I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you! Here, let me help you," she said as she picked up the book.

Ichihara shook his head and smiled at her, "There's no need for apology. I don't think it could've been helped. You seemed to be very deep in thought."

They straightened and Kagome handed him the book. She noticed Ichihara eyeing the bag she held and she looked up at him. With another apology, she bowed and started to walk away. That is, she started to walk away until Ichihara ran after her.

"Kagome-san, are you busy right now?" he asked her as he caught up to her.

Kagome shook her head.

"Well," he started, "There's this café around here that I like a lot. Would you like to join me?"

Kagome tilted her head slightly and thought for a moment. She bit her lip briefly before nodding and following the man across the street and down a few blocks to a small corner café. She stepped inside and followed Ichihara to a table in a warmly lit corner of the room. The place was nice, she thought to herself. It had a comfortable feel to it and the atmosphere was very inviting.

Ichihara settled himself at a seat across from Kagome, placing the three books he carried with him to the side. He turned to Kagome and smiled. "Kagome-san, order what you like."

"No that's all right, Ichihara-sensei. I don't have much money on me right now. I think I'll just pass," Kagome replied.

"Nonsense," Ichihara protested, "Go ahead and order something. It's my treat."

The girl blushed and looked down at the small menu that was already on the table. Everything on the menu was basically just desserts and beverages, but everything was mouthwatering. It ranged from exquisite cheesecakes to hot drinks fit for a cold winter night with that special someone. However…

"Kagome-san, what's the matter?"

She let out a small laugh that quickly died as she looked up at him. "Well," she started, "It's just that… everything's so expensive, Ichihara-sensei…"

Ichihara let out a laugh and waved his hand slightly, "That's all right really. I have to insist that you try their desserts here. Their very good."

Kagome sighed and looked back down at the menu, but Ichihara spoke again. She looked up again to see him taking off his glasses and cleaning the lenses with a small cloth.

"Oh, by the way, we're not in class, so you don't need to call me Ichihara-sensei. Just call me by my name. It's much easier…"

"Okay…" Kagome answered. She paused for a bit, then a pink blush appeared on her cheeks as she smiled embarrassed at her teacher, "Ummm… I don't know you first name…"

Ichihara sighed. "That makes sense actually. For some reason, that damn school always forgets to put it up on the roster…" He opened his green eyes and looked at Kagome, his glasses still in his hands. "It's Kitsu, just Kitsu…"

Kagome blushed a deeper red and averted her eyes from him fro a brief moment. Ichihara's eyes were an intense shade of green and they just played off of his already handsome features especially his red hair and his smile. His eyes were more noticeable without his glasses and they gleamed brighter. They also seemed to display his personality of both fun and friendly and the constant mystery.

"Umm…" Kagome started, "Okay… Kitsu it is."

'Kitsu' placed his glasses back on and stared down at the menu. He ran his finger down on of the lists, thinking of what to order before looking back up and smiling again. "What are you going to order, Kagome-san?" he asked.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Kagome said. Kitsu blinked and gave her a questioning look. "You have to call me by Kagome, just Kagome!"

Kitsu smiled and corrected himself. "Okay," he said, "What are you going to order, Kagome?"

Kagome paused then let out a small sigh as she looked down at the menu, "I don't know…"

"Why don't I order for both of us?" Kagome watched Kitsu turn to the waitress whom she hadn't realized had been there the whole time and spoke out their orders. "Two slices of your blueberry cheesecake and two cups of coffee."

"Coming right away, sir…" the waitress said before disappearing into the kitchen door behind the main counter.

"So, how's your study on that book I lent you?"

Kagome turned back to Kitsu. He was looking at the archaic book that was lying on the edge of the table. Truthfully, she hadn't read anything at all. She'd only taken the book with her to make sure that her grandfather didn't take it and throw it somewhere in his collection of old books and scrolls in the shrine storage. Kagome looked away and bit her lip.

"I see," she heard her teacher say, making her look back at him. His arms were crossed and his eyes were closed. She watched closely as he opened his eyes again and stared at the book. Then, he noticed she was staring at him and he smiled, making her blush again. "Sorry about that," he said, "I was just wondering about the book myself. I haven't read what's in it yet. That friend of mine just told me there are some texts in there by the vassals of his ancestors."

"I've been kind of… busy, so I haven't looked at it yet." Kagome said.

Kitsu looked up and gave yet another smile, "The due date for the assignment is in three months. But I'm not the least bit worried…"

"Easy for you to say, you're the teacher…" Kagome said under her breath.

"What was that, Kagome?"

"Nothing…"

"Well," Kitsu continued, "I'm pretty confident that you'll be able to finish the project on time. Oh, I almost forgot…" He grabbed one of the books he had with him and handed it to Kagome. "That's another book I was able to get from my dear friend. However, he doesn't know about it yet, but I have a feeling that the next time I visit him, he'll chase me down and I'll see that scary side of him again…"

Kagome took it from him and looked at the cover. There was nothing written on the cover, it was just a purely dark brown cover. She opened it and flipped through the pages. It wasn't thick, which she thanked the gods for, and there were small passages written in it. They resembled poems, but she'll looked closer later. She closed the book and slid it into the bag of pocky and ramen next to her feet.

"Thank you, Ichi--I mean, Kitsu, but don't you think it's a bit unfair that I have all this help from you and the others are on their own?"

"Well," he started to explain, "You're the only one who almost practically failed last semester due to your absents… Oh, here's our food…"

Kagome looked to the side and watched as the waitress placed their orders in front of them. The cheesecake slices were quite large and the aroma he coffee was giving of just took Kagome to coffee heaven in her mind.

"Shall we?" Kitsu said, raising his fork to hover above the little plate of blueberry heaven.

Kagome nodded and cut off a piece of the cheesecake and placing it in her mouth.

Kitsu smiled and watched his student eat. _'I knew she'd like this place…'_ Then, he cut off a piece for himself, his emerald eyes focused on the large book he had given her a day or two ago. He closed his eyes and smirked. He turned to the glass window only to see Kagome's friends staring up at them. He sweatdropped and sighed mentally, trying to ignore them and act as if he didn't see them at all even though they were right there next to them. Then, he wondered if Kagome had even noticed them yet. But, he guessed that it'd only take a few more seconds before she did.

**TBC…**

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	9. Midnight Thoughts

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Eight: Midnight Thoughts**

Kagome slid into the silent house, carefully kicking off her shoes and making her way up the stairs. Once she was safe inside her room, she placed the bag of treats and two books on her desk and plopped down carelessly on her bed. Her hair was splayed across the bedsheets under her, the soft fabrics of her t-shirt and skirt slightly wrinkled due to her rough handling. Her eyes were closed and the rhythm of her breathing slowed down to a moderate beat.

It was dark outside already and it was no surprise to her that the rest of her family was already asleep. She had left mid-morning and now, it was a few minutes passed eleven o' clock. The time just strayed passed her mind as she spent the day with Ichihara-sen—Kitsu and only realized how late it was after coming back from a small restaurant for dinner.

To speak the truth, it was kind of awkward spending the whole with your college professor, a very handsome college professor, but that's not the point. He was not too much older than her, but the fact that he was her teacher made the notion of a relationship nothing more than a weird dream from the deep corners of Kagome's mind. Still… she felt awkwardly comfortable around him and to say the least, they had a good time today.

Kagome's eyes shot open and she shook her head as she pushed herself up to sit on the edge of her bed. She moved her legs into a crossed position and stared out her window. Maybe it was just that Kitsu resembled what she thought was the perfect guy during her high school days and maybe even until now. He was kind, friendly, had a sense of humor, and had looks to boot. But, there was Inuyasha… She still loved him, even after four years apart from him… Right? She loved him despite the fact he longed for Kikyo. She had stayed by his side until the well took her away from him.

Kagome leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. Maybe this was just another one of those confusion stages in her life. Surely it would end soon, right? She didn't want to go insane on the inside again for her fear of system meltdown still lingered somewhere in her already emotionally challenged brain. '_Dear Kagome, this is your heart and brain… Despite the pathetic and sad girl you are, please don't go into another emotional breakdown! Too much strain on us! Thank you! Love, your dear friends, Kagome's heart and Kagome's brain.'_

A groan escaped the girl's lips and she shook the high-pitched voices out of her head and jumped off the bed. She walked towards the door and instinctively reached for her towel before exiting from her room. She made her way to her bathroom and after a few minutes, was submerged in the hot, relaxing waters of the tub.

Her head re-emerged from under the water and leaned against the edge, her eyes lingering to the plain white ceiling of the bathroom. Her dark tresses swirled around her as some stray strands stuck to her cheeks. Out of pure nothingness, the thought of her semester project popped up in her head and a small frown etched itself on her lips. _'Yet another thing that'll give me grays sooner of later…'_

She turned her head and stared at the small glinting jewel on a small towel on the corner of the edge of the tub. Her hand emerged from the water and held the jewel in front of her. Inuyasha would be of no help at all since he didn't know much about Sesshoumaru in the first place and she didn't have the slightest clue as to where to find Toutousai-sama. She sighed and paused for a moment before coming her last option._ 'Well, there's always Myouga. Hopefully, he hasn't runaway to anywhere or died yet…'_

Kagome dropped the Shikon jewel back onto the towel and replaced her hand back into the water. She slid deeper into the water so that the water was just under her nose._ 'Myouga should have something on Sesshoumaru other than the obvious. After all, he was a servant of Inuyasha's dad…'_

Would Kitsu give her an extension…? Wait… No… Kagome shook her head. Even if he did like her, should there be the chance, from what she learned today during her time with him, he kept fair. He wouldn't treat any one of his students better than the other. Even those with big connections or of a high-class family were treated as he would treat everyone else in his class, just a normal student. So, why would he give her an extension after all the help he was giving her already… But, why was he helping her in the first place…?

_'I was sick and he's only trying to get me up-to-speed… Yeah! That's it!'_ Kagome said in her mind, her fingers running through her wet hair as she raised herself to a level where the water was back at her collarbone.

She sighed to herself. Her friends would never let her live today down especially after they saw her with him at that confections and desserts café. Her little clique had pulled her away when she and Kitsu were walking through the mall and had interrogated her about their 'date'. Kagome had told them that it wasn't a date, but the suspicious looks in their eyes told her that they didn't believe anything she told them. Kagome had managed to escape from them after they had started arguing with each other about love triangles, or rather, love rectangles.

After the frustrating talk with her friend, Kitsu had invited her to dinner at an old beef stew spot he knew about. The place reminded her of the feudal era, in that the waitresses and waiters were dressed in traditional kimonos and that the restaurant itself looked like a beef stew house that belonged to the Meiji Restoration Era or something… In fact, the owner of the restaurant reminded her of Kouga…

_'He even has the same attitude as Kouga,'_ she laughed to herself as she recalled when the owner had shouted at two of his waiters. It strangely reminded her of the times when she'd see Kouga with his two loyal wolf friends.

A smile appeared on her face and Kagome wondered if she'd see Kouga again in the Sengoku Jidai. Hopefully, he and Inuyasha wouldn't fight anymore, then again, that probably wasn't possible. Slowly, Kagome brought her hands up I front of her face, her fingers starting to show the shapes of wrinkles. She decided to get out of the tub before she completely turned into a prune and grabbed her towel, wrapping it secure around her. She grabbed a smaller towel for her hair then dipped her hand into the water and yanked the drain plug. She grabbed her clothes and the jewel then exited the bathroom to go to her room, her hand brushing against the light switch to shut the bathroom light before stepping out the door.

Kagome walked into her room and locked the door behind her. She threw her dirty clothes into the clothes bin next to her closet and replaced the jewel around her neck. After she adequately dried her hair, she grabbed a fresh set of pajamas and slipped into them. After going through all of her post-bath routine, Kagome plopped onto her bed and leaned against the wall, the pink pajamas flecked with tiny teddy bear pictures wrinkling the slightest bit.

_'At least I know that all we'll be doing in class for the next two months is trying to finish our projects, a few lessons here and there… I promised Shippou and Inuyasha I'd come back soon.'_ Kagome sighed and shifted her position to lie down on her bed appropriately, pulling the covers over her and then curling up into a semi-ball.

A small sigh escaped from her lips as she stared at her alarm clock. It read 12: 36 AM. Tomorrow, well, technically today, was Sunday, so she could go to the feudal era, but she was sure that they weren't going to do much in class for the rest of two months anyway, so she'd be able to go the coming week too. Besides, the sick excuse was still going strong… Maybe Kitsu would even consider giving her an extension!

Kagome smiled and slowly closed her eyes. She was tired from the day she had, so it was only proper that she'd get some rest since she was going to spend the rest of today after she woke up in the feudal era. After a few brief moments, Kagome finally fell into a deep sleep, her thoughts tucking away into sleep for tomorrow.

**TBC… **

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	10. Death's Invisibility

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Nine: Death's Invisibility**

"Is that all of them?"

Sango kicked away a piece of demon flesh that lay on the grass at her feet. She hadn't seen such a massive collection of demons such as the one that now lay dead in the clearing since Naraku. It was quite easy to bring each individual down, but it was the demons' sheer size in numbers that caused problems. The demons brought Sango the sweet opportunity to blow some long collected steam off, but aroused concern in that there was something seriously wrong with the situation. The blob demons had literally come out of nowhere and had started attacking its to the village.

"Yeah… I think so… I don't smell any more of them," said the hanyou standing on a lone, high branch of a nearby tree.

"Where do you think they came from, Inuyasha? Those were no ordinary demons, I'm sure of it." The demon exterminator squatted and scanned the numerous bodies scattered across the clearing.

Inuyasha jumped down from the tree and started to walk to the edge of the bloodstained clearing. He stopped and turned his head slightly. "I don't know," he said, "But you're right. Those were no ordinary demons and we have to careful so close to the village. I'm going to see if there are any more of those bastards hiding here anywhere." With that, he walked through the trees and disappeared.

Sango pushed herself up and sighed. She stretched her arms out and grabbed her hiraikotsu, securely fastening it to her back. As she looked up at the sky, she realized how long they were fighting for. It was already morning and the birds were already chirping merrily despite the gruesome scene around her. After a small shake of the head, she stepped in the direction of the Kaede's village, but she halted when she saw something from the corner of her eye. Instinctively, she turned and narrowed her eyes as she brought her hiraikotsu in front of her in a defensive stance. Her eyes were intense with focus and at the sound of a crack in the underbrush; she dashed in the direction of whatever it was.

Faintly, she could see a shadowy form in front of her, but the more she increased in speed, the more it seemed to know she was gaining on it. As she stepped closer to it, it went faster to a point were she couldn't see it, but only hear it. Sango gripped the strap of her weapon and squatted lower, putting all her focus on her surroundings and her running._ 'Where is it?'_

Sango jumped out of the forest and into a clearing, ready to attack whatever was trying to flee the scene in the other clearing. She quickly raised her hiraikotsu into position but stopped herself when she saw what was in front of her. She lowered her weapon and scanned the area. Whatever that she was pursuing seemed to have completely disappeared into nowhere.

Kagome stared at her friend from her dangling position in the Bone Eater's well. Kagome heaved herself out of the confined space of the well and dropped her things to the ground before approaching the apprehensive demon exterminator on the other side of the clearing.

"Sango, are you all right?" she asked concerned.

Sango relaxed and sighed, a small smiled playing at her lips. "Yeah… I'm just a bit tired… I'm starting to see hallucinations."

Kagome nodded and smiled then noticed Sango's attire. The demon exterminator was dressed in her 'work' clothes, a few rips and tears here and there as well as some dirt. "Sango," Kagome started, "What happened?"

Sango looked down at herself then at Kagome. "We had a little run-in with some demons. Little damage done, really, but Inuyasha's gone off to make sure the rest of the area's safe…"

The young miko bent down and picked up her things. She let out a small sigh before turning to her friend. "Is everyone in the village safe?"

Sango nodded and replaced her hiraikotsu back onto her back. "Yes. Inuyasha and I made sure that none of them got to the village, but some of the villagers who were in the forest at the time just got injured. They're back at the village getting treat--"

Kagome watched as her friend's eyes widened and focused on something that seemed to be behind her. As if the world was in slow motion, Kagome turned around and saw a towering figure of black heading directly towards them. Both of them just seemed to freeze and stand rooted to their spot despite the shouts their brains were making. The things red eyes gleamed and shot an eerily cold glass of ice down their spines.

As the thing got closer, Kagome cause a flash of red from the corner of her eyes and the next moment, a set of claws sliced through the thing that then disintegrated into thin air.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled in relief, seeing the red-glad figure land a few yards away.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" he asked, walking towards her and Sango.

"Yeah, uh, what's wrong?"

Kagome's eyebrows furrowed upon seeing the serious look on the hanyou's face. He was staring down at his claws with a deep thought running through his head. Kagome peeked over to see if there was some sort of injury on his hand, but she could see none. His hand was perfectly fine but he was staring at it as if there was seriously something wrong with it.

"Inuyasha?"

The hanyou turned to her and closed his hand, letting it fall to his side. "That didn't feel right. I couldn't even feel it against my claws."

Sango stepped forward and looked around, making sure there were no more of those things. It was different from the rest of the demons. What kind of demon was it? During the night's fight, there were none like the one just now. "What do you mean, Inuyasha?" the demon exterminator asked her friend.

"If was as if once my claws came in contact with it, it just vanished, like a ghost and this strange feeling ran through my body, as if it went through me as it disappeared," he replied.

It was strange. Whatever the things was, it seemed to disintegrate into some sort of mist before disappearing completely when Inuyasha's claws came into contact with it. And before Inuyasha had shown up, its eyes gave the most menacing presence and it tore into the soul, as if attempting to seek fears and bring them forth through its tormenting eyes.

"Maybe we should get back to the village before another one of those things comes and attacks us again…" Kagome suggested.

Sango and Inuyasha nodded started to walk with Kagome back to Kaede's village. They silently walked through the underbrush that Sango had navigated earlier, but once they entered the clearing that was supposed to be littered with a myriad of demon bodies, Inuyasha and Sango were taken aback in bewilderment at an empty field. It didn't even hold a mark of the battle that lasted the whole of the previous night and Inuyasha's nose could pick up no scent of death or blood at all. It was as if the whole thing never happened in the first place.

Kagome stared at her friends questioningly. "What? What's wrong?"

"We fought with demons here last night… I left this clearing a few moments ago and it was filled with the bodies of the demons we killed…" Sango said as she walked into the center of the clearing and looked around.

"I don't understand," Kagome said, "If you guys fought here, then where are all the bodies. It looks like nothing even happened."

Kagome walked up to Sango and looked around as well. How could that be? It wasn't like the demons would just come back to with their bodies mutilated and fly off somewhere. That was impossible! It couldn't have been Naraku. They had destroyed him four years ago and surely Inuyasha would have told her if he caught the whiff of him anywhere near.

"We have to get back to the village…" the said hanyou spoke suddenly.

Sango and Kagome turned back to him, but he ran forward to the other side of the clearing. Kagome ran after him. "Inuyasha!"

"Something's wrong here! We have to get back!" he shouted back to her, not turning his head, but heading straight for the village.

* * *

'_I must lead them away… I cannot let others get hurt because of my burden…'_

A young woman dressed in a miko's attire staggered her way through the forest, a bow in her hand. Her hand clutched her side. The people at the village she was at had treated her while she had lost consciousness, but she needed to stay away. She was still weak, but she was determined to reach the shrine she needed to go to. It was the only way…

The miko fell forward, catching herself at a tree. She leaned against the tree trunk, her breathing hard. Her gritted her teeth and pushed forward. She stumbled down the path, her wounds throbbing as the major ones threatened to reopen. Her side was already soaked with blood from the wound that had yet to close the previous night and would strike shots of pain every time she would try to walk faster, only proving to slow her down.

After falling agonizingly for yet another time, the miko screamed in pain. She gripped her bow tighter and forcefully pushed herself up despite the throbbing in her side. She could feel her legs were about to give out on her, but she willed them to stand and walk. She walked for a few meters before stopping to lean against another tree._ 'No… I must not stop… I have to keep going…'_

The weary priestess pushed herself forward and continued to walk down the path she predetermined in her head. But, sharp pain shot up her chest as blood gushed from her mouth. She fell to her knees and looked down. A black tendril had pierce right through her and she watched as her life's blood poured freely from the gash.

'_No…'_ She fell forward, he hand outstretched to a scroll in front of her._ 'I can't die… I can't..!'_ Her vision blurred, her body growing numb by the second. She stretched out her hand as tears welled up in her eyes._ 'Please… No…'_ The color in her eyes dimmed and her hand fell to the ground. Her head dropped, her eyes dead and expressionless, but tears still running down from them freely.

A tall dark figure towered over her dead body, deep red eyes gleaming with malicious enjoyment. It bent down and picked up the scroll splayed on the ground. Its eyes smiled with pure evil as it kicked the lifeless body aside, marring the woman's white skin and the green fabric of her clothes with dirt before finally disappearing into a mist that suddenly came out of nowhere.

**TBC… **

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	11. Silence Before The Storm

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Ten: Silence Before The Storm**

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!"

The tall daiyoukai kept his steady advance through the forest, his toad of a servant literally running to keep up. The faint scent of a trail of human blood still lingered in the air, the hint of tangy magic interlaced with the metallic stench. The smell of the blood was old, suggesting that perhaps whatever carried the scent of the blood was not the red liquid's true origin. There was a possibility that this thing, whatever it was, was the reason for the attack at the demolished village near the southern parts of his lands, and there was a large possibility that it would attack yet another defenseless village.

The sky darkened ever so slightly as the wind blew a sinister cold that felt so out-of-placed that you'd be stupid to think that nothing was wrong. A rather loud squeak came from Sesshoumaru's retainer as a loud roar of thunder suddenly boomed around them. The young girl sleeping on the dragon steed that followed behind the toad servant quietly seemed utterly oblivious to anything and was buried deep within the confines of peaceful sleep.

"Gyah ou!" The toad servant jumped and hurriedly ran behind Ah-Un. "Sesshoumaru-sama, we should take shelter soon! It is apparent that a storm is coming!" Jaken said, shaking himself inwardly to shake off the shock he'd received from the sound of thunder all the while, squeezing and bit too tight at Ah-Un's reins.

Sesshoumaru did not answer and merely continued walking on a path he had already predetermined in his head several hours ago. It was a pestering chore really, to destroy the threats made on his land, at most times seemingly totally unnecessary, but it was best to keep utmost order in the large expanse of land that was the demon lord's inheritance. If he kept the villages under his rule safe, there would be less chance of rebellion rising against him, not that they had ever tried to in the past anyway.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Besides, it offered something to do. If something with such short of a life as humans could get easily bored with nothing to do, then immortals must the worse cases of perpetual boredom ever. Given the ability to live forever and _maybe_ die should said immortal get killed, life would be more sufferable with something to do. But all things do come to an end and all jewelry loses its luster after a certain period of time, so it would make sense that things to do would get boring as well and you'd have to, yet again, search for a new muse.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The youkai looked down and realized that he had stopped walking. Rin was looking up at him, a hand grasping his kimono sleeve while the other scratched the sleep away on one of her eyes. She seemed to have woken up after a few more rolls of thunder and had stepped over Jaken, pushing the toad abruptly yet unintentionally to the side in her hurry to get to her Sesshoumaru-sama. A sleepy yawn escaped from her mouth before she blinked and started scratching the other eye.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm really cold…" the little girl mumbled, swaying slightly as her line of vision lowered to look at nothing in particular. Her hand dropped from Sesshoumaru's sleeve and she covered her mouth as yet another large yawn escaped her.

The youkai lord turned his head and spotted a rather conveniently placed cave. Jaken seemed to get the hint after a few long seconds of contemplation and proceeded to drag the dragon steed and stumbling human girl with him to the cave.

As his companions settled themselves into the shelter hollowed out from the stone cliff, Sesshoumaru slipped silently, as he usually did, out of view so that he could think. Opportunities like this were becoming scarce, even with the seemingly endless amount of lifespan the demon lord had yet to live. More and more problems have been turning up, significantly around the borders of his lands. At the moment, his main priority was to thoroughly sort out all his options and fix whatever needed to be fixed, particularly the robbery of the Scroll of Earth, a sacred object his ancestors had entrusted to the now demolished village to protect.

Its purpose really was a mystery to him. Though scholars in his family's court wrote nearly anything down as new installments to a vast collection of historical records, he doubted there was anything there that mentioned anything more that its name. The youkai lord had practically read everything during his childhood and early training, as well as occasionally in whatever spare time he had besides thinking, so there really was no use looking there.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly and turned his eyes upwards, towards the turmoiled sky. The air was laced with the stench of death and demons. But there was a distinct scent lingering in the air that was the same as the one that hovered over the ruins of the village that protected the Scroll of Earth. It reminded him of Naraku, yet this was different from the impudent hanyou's.

The scent was delicate and distinct, but just as elusive. It was… strange… There was not really anything that it resembles in smell, yet it dripped with an almost overpowering aura of evil. Even the wind seemed to be wary of the origin of the scent, suddenly blowing against his body with a strange force. It reminded of him mostly of the eerie silence hovering over a battlefield after a war is over. It was… irritating, for lack of a better word.

However, something from the corner of his eyes had caught the demon lord's attention and he turned his head. What would have looked like an unusually shaped rock was a blood drenched corpse of a young woman lying haphazardly at the base of a tree. If he was human or anyone else, Sesshoumaru would have cringed at least mentally, but he was already used to such a sight. In a world were war and famine were everywhere, this was nothing out of the ordinary at all.

Her bloodied clothes, he noticed, were similar to that of the two girls in the village, miko garb. This was the priestess who was the sister of the two girls, the very priestess who was also entrusted with the Scroll of Earth. She had multiple wounds from her battle at the ruined village, but the deathblow was the wound in her chest. A hole was pierce right through her body, and the way she was positioned, she had been kicked mercilessly to the side after her murderer had gotten what he wanted.

The scent he had been following since earlier was particularly concentrated around the miko's body, indicating that it had been following her as she made her way from the village. She was too weak from the previous battle and opted to lure the demons away to protect her sister, merely cornering herself in the process. In the end, she would have been killed either way. Whatever ghost feeling was left of her power was steadily ebbing away as the wind blew furiously around the area. Sesshoumaru merely stared down at the miko's body indifferently with cold golden eyes. She had been strong, yet she hadn't been strong enough.

**TBC… **

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	12. Hellfire on a Rainy Day

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Eleven: Hellfire on a Rainy Day**

"Where did she go!"

Kagome ran to keep up with Inuyasha as he stormed out of Kaede's hut. She could hear the rest of her companions following closely behind, but her eyes were set of the red blur in front of her. Finally, Kagome became fed up with asking who 'she' was and decided to sit Inuyasha. A loud thud echoed through the surrounding area as Kagome screeched to a halt in next to an Inuyasha-shaped hole. She placed her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath.

A clawed hand emerged from the hole, bringing with it a very agitated hanyou. Inuyasha heaved himself out of his hole and glared at Kagome. "What'd you do that for!" he yelled down at her.

Kagome straightened and glared back up at him. "Because you won't tell me what's going on!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and gave a 'feh' as he turned back to his path. However, as the thunder rolled through the darkening sky, his ears perked and Inuyasha quickly jerked his head in another direction. He dashed off in that direction, making Kagome and the rest of his companions run after him again.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as the smell of blood hit his nostrils. The blood was fresh which meant she wasn't far, but by the amount of blood, he could tell that the wounds Kaede had ensured earlier were sealed, had reopened. At this rate, the miko wouldn't survive the night all by herself in a forest crawling with demons thirsting for bloodshed.

"Inuyasha! Wait!" he heard his friends call behind him, but he kept his eyes on his path.

The scent of blood became stronger as Inuyasha's nose detected another scent. It wasn't until he burst into a small clearing that he figured out whom the other scent belonged to. His eyes immediately fell on the bloody heap at the base of a nearby tree, his eyes widening slightly by what he saw. Then, he turned to the white-clad figure that stood at the other side of the clearing staring back at him indifferently.

"Did you kill her, Sesshoumaru? Answer me!" Inuyasha placed his hand on the hilt of his Tetsusaiga, ready to draw at any moment.

Inuyasha's ears perked as a rustle came from behind him, indicating that his friends had arrived. His hand instinctively wrapped itself around the hilt of Tetsusaiga, ready to draw in an instant.

The daiyoukai stand placidly at the opposite end of the small clearing flicked his eyes to the body of the dead priestess and looked back to Inuyasha, a slight hint of amusement in his eyes. "How pathetic, Inuyasha. Have you again fallen weak for another human girl? It seems that your heart just cannot choose one."

A feral growl escaped from Inuyasha as his grip tightened around Tetsusaiga's hilt. It wasn't that at all. It was just that… the priestess looked like his mother. But really, that was the only thing that drew him to her, other than the fact that she was in need of help.

Sesshoumaru turned around and started to walk away. The wind blew furiously through the clearing; the scent of the dead woman's blood flooding the area and also being carried with leaves and dust.

"You bastard! You can't just kill a helpless human and then leave! Come back and fight me!" Inuyasha called out. He withdrew Tetsusaiga and held it in front of him in its true from of a large fang.

The demon lord halted in his steps, but did not look back. An eerie wind, different from the one earlier blew, his silver hair swaying to its will. "It is a pointless to fight me over the death of a human woman I do not even know."

"Why you--" Inuyasha lunged toward Sesshoumaru, but the youkai disappeared in a white blur. A blast from the side hurled at Inuyasha, but he blocked at the last moment to protect himself. As the blast subsided, he looked up to see Sesshoumaru touch his feet to the ground, Toukijin in his hand.

"You are an ignorant fool, Inuyasha," he said coolly, bringing Toukijin up to point at Inuyasha. After a small crack of energy at the tip of Toukijin's blade, Inuyasha was sent flying backwards to crash into a tree.

Inuyasha pushed himself up immediately, but Sesshoumaru had swung his sword again, sending another blast towards the hanyou. Inuyasha dodged quickly and swung Tetsusaiga in response to Sesshoumaru's attack. The Backlash Wave cut through the clearing, heading straight for Sesshoumaru, swirling wildly with a golden light, but the demon lord merely held out his sword horizontally as his defense. His eyes narrowed and in an instant, the Backlash Wave was split in half and disintegrated before it had a chance to hit him. The Toukijin's blade smoked, energy cracking around its edges.

Inuyasha bared his fangs as he glared at Sesshoumaru. He had defeated his Backlash Wave looking as though it didn't take much effort at all. He held Tetsusaiga in front of him and watched as Sesshoumaru slid into a fighting stance.

"Inuyasha!" he heard Kagome call him.

He turned slightly, "Kagome get out of here!"

"Listen to me! I don't think Sesshoumaru killed her! Stop fighting, please!"

"Are you crazy!" Inuyasha turned back to Sesshoumaru. "How do you explain hima being here with the body? I'm not letting him get his hands on Tetsusaiga! Just get out of here!"

"Inuyasha!"

Sesshoumaru smirked, "You should listen to your human, filthy half-breed. You are too blind to see the proof of my innocence. But it seems you would rather die at this Sesshoumaru's hands today. If that is your wish, then I shall gladly grant it."

"Shut up! If there's someone who's going to die today, its you!"

The wind suddenly swirled around them with a much stronger force than earlier, the sky darkening incredibly. The howl of the wind grew louder as pieces of what looked life flesh of demons fell around them from nowhere. A screeching sound from the backdrop of wind resounded and seemed to surround them.

"W-what's happening!" Shippou ran and took cover from the falling pieces of demon under Kirara.

Kagome brought up her hand to shield herself from the falling flesh and called out to Inuyasha, who was slicing away at the larger pieces of flesh while his older brother didn't seem to get hit by anything at all. The screeching was louder now, growing in volume as moments passed.

"What's that sound!" Sango stood back to back with Miroku, her boomerang in her hand as her eyes intently scanned her surroundings.

The monk looked up and gripped his staff tighter. "Demons!" he said pointedly as he watch a dark collection of figures emerge from the storm threatening clouds.

Inuyasha growled and gripped the hilt of his Tetsusaiga. He swung it at the demons and unleashed his Windscar at them, taking out the front line, but more came. The demons roared in rage and started to wildly attack them from all side; they were surrounded.

Sesshoumaru swung at demon after demon as the sky started pour rain onto the their battlefield. He sliced through a serpent-like demon, chopping it into two pieces vertically down. It fell to the ground, squirming frantically before it finally died, dark blood staining the ground. Another demon, an ogre-like one with a bull's head charged at him, but he cut his sword through its heart and proceeded to clear himself a path. He had no substantial reason to fight these pests and it was a pure waste of his power and time.

However, a small dark figure entered his peripheral vision as he sliced through demon after demon. His golden eyes followed it as it weaved its way through the demons. He narrowed his eyes and followed it as he fought. It was using the rain to its advantage, using speed and stealth because of the rain's ability to wash away scents. Its intent seemed to get near him, but as it did, he lunged towards it and sliced through it one fluid horizontal stroke.

The thing, whatever it was, fell to the ground and disintegrated, as if it had never been there in the first place. It felt strange… It was as if when he had swung Toukijin, there was nothing there for it to him, not even the slightest touch of pressure against some sort of object.

The rain, which seemed endless slowed and eventually stopped, however, the demons kept coming. This time, Sesshoumaru caught another dark figure, however, it was taller, more sinister looking than the other one. It had no face with only two glowing red eyes, just like the other one, but it was that way it move that spoke of its malicious bloodthirsty nature. Again, it headed for him, but as he lunged to destroy it, it burst into a cloud of smoke that immediately surrounded him and filled his chest with a heavy sensation, as if something has started to choke him.

He heard a female voice scream from somewhere else in the clearing as he dropped his sword to the ground. His now shaky hand went to his neck as he slowly lowered to kneel on the ground. He couldn't breathe and his vision was getting blurry by the second. His head started throbbing painfully as he strained to stay conscious. He should not have fallen for such a trick.

It had started to rain again and the demons flying around him faded into mere figures of shadows as his air passageway tightened, his lungs gasping for air. The sounds around him, even with his acute hearing became muffled. His vision darkened until it blacked out completely, his body falling limp despite his protests. He fell forward onto the wet ground as the mist that had been released by the dark figure engulfed him and the rest of the battlefield.

Lightning flashed as the rain poured harder outside the cave. Jaken had gotten a fire started and was currently sulking in one corner. Rin sat by the fire with he knees pulled up to her chest. It had been hours since Sesshoumaru-sama had left and now, the sky had darkened to night. It hadn't stopped raining after the second time the rain started and the wind howled with rage.

The little human girl stared at the flickering light of the fire. Knowing Jaken, he'd say that everything was all right and that Sesshoumaru-sama would come back, so she didn't bother to ask. She leaned back against a sleeping Ah-Un, who was assisting in keeping her warm, and sighed. But… her Sesshoumaru-sama would be all right, would he?

_'Sesshoumaru-sama, please come back soon…' _

**TBC…**

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	13. Interlude: Remembrance

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Interlude: Remembrance**

"Okaa-san! Okaa-san!"

A young boy ran down the wood floored halls, his silver hair swaying into an untidy state as he frantically searched every room for his mother. He passed empty room after empty room, following the subtle scent belonging to his mother as he clutch something in his tiny hands. Had she left him? She wouldn't, would she? He was certain there was nothing that must have upset his mother, in fact, the last time he had seen her, she had been in quite the finest mood.

The silver-haired boy ran out and onto the porch, his feet slightly slipping due to the fact that he was running so fast. Where was she? He had looked all over for her, yet she was nowhere to be found. Even the garden, which his mother would so often be in found in, sitting under the massive cherry blossom tree in the center of the garden while playing her flute to herself or waiting for him to come to her, was empty except for the plants that made it a garden.

He called out for her again, but there was no answer. He doubted the servants would help him despite the number of them inhabiting the castle for it seemed that they were in preparation of a feast to be held later that night. Numerous of them had run passed him earlier, preoccupied about getting things done properly and time. Anxiety slowly started to grow in his little chest as he made his way quietly to the front gate of the castle. Luckily, one of the guards was called off to do something and the other one was distracted with talking to one of the old maids who had just come from gather herbs to be put used in the dinner feast.

The young one quite easily snuck passed the guard with the use of his natural ability for stealth, which was quite helpful. He knew he would face many foes when he'd mature, and for some reason, these people were somewhat more ignorant than they usually were, but it mattered not at the moment. He continued to follow his mother's scent into the forest next to the grounds of the castle, his feet carrying him as fast as he could go.

Shadows created by the light seeping through the canopy above him played on his silver hair as he ran through the quiet forest. His eyes brightened, the scent he followed becoming stronger with every step he took. Surely his mother was close by.

Without taking a moment's hesitation any longer, he burst into a large field full of a variety of tall, yellow wild flowers. He ran farther into the field, his head just peeking just barely peeking above the flowers. He pushed back the flowers as he warily walked through the field. But because he hadn't been paying attention to where he was stepping, his foot sunk into a shallow hole and he tripped, falling forward and slightly marring the white fabric of his clothing.

A small pout shaped onto his face as he proceeded to push himself off the ground. However, his body tensed for a split second when he heard the familiar tune of a flute float up to his ears. In an instant, he was up, running as fast as he could towards the origin of the sound. This time, he tripped over himself in his hurry. He fell to the ground with a yelp, the sound of the music suddenly stopping.

The young boy looked up and pushed himself off the ground one more. His eyes picked up the hint of a pathway through the flowers and he traced it up a small hill covered with the same yellow flowers as the rest of the field. His eyes widened with joy as he saw a figure bathed in soft morning sunlight standing at the top of the hill. There, his mother stood, dressed in her long robes, her long silvery hair swaying in the wind as her flute lay in her hands. He watched as she blinked for a short moment before her face softened into that warm-hearted smile she always gave him.

"Okaa-san!" The young silver-haired boy ran up the hill and wrapped him arms around his mother's legs lovingly.

His mother smiled and took his hands away from her to give herself a chance to kneel in front of him. She rubbed away a spot of dirt that was next to his little nose before wrapping her arms tightly around him in a warm embrace. Her hand smoothed through the long hair that fell against his back, calming him down. She said nothing to him, but her question was evident in her touch.

"Okaa-san, I could not find you in the castle… I thought that you had abandoned me," the boy said, grasping the fabric of his mother's kimono sleeve like if he let go, she would disappear and never come back.

His mother pulled back and placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Why do you think such silly thoughts, my son?" she asked. She hugged him again, the spring breeze weaving through their hair. "I will never abandon you…"

"Do I have your word?"

She pulled away and nodded with a soft smile, "You have my word."

She watched as her son reached into his sleeve and pull out a necklace with a small crescent moon pendant of the loveliest shade of deep blue. Her son held it out for her and she took it in her hands, watching as it glinted in the sun.

"I wanted to give that back to you. I noticed that you hadn't worn it today," she heard him say.

Somewhat of a sad smile crept onto her face as she gingerly touched the blue pendant of her necklace. She had never been once without it since he father had given it to her, and she had searched everywhere for it when she had found that it was gone from her neck. She lifted her gaze from the necklace and looked at her son. He always did have a knack for noticing little details and such, so it wasn't much of a surprise that he had notice the disappearance of the necklace even though she'd said nothing of it.

"Where did you find it?" she asked him.

"In the garden!" he said matter-of-factly while crossing his arms over his chest. She let out a small chuckle for he looked like a proud miniature version of his father.

She shook her head and let the wind play with her hair as she looked back down at her necklace. "Well then, I believe that its rescuer deserves a well-earned reward," she said, her head tilting in a somewhat childish yet graceful manner.

Her son raised both eyebrows with a question in his eyes. However, his mother only responded with a silent smile like she usually did. He did not expect to be rewarded, not did he want one. All he cared about was that he returned what rightfully belonged to his mother. She motioned for him to close his eyes, but he was one who didn't like surprises, so he shook his head and kept his eyes open. His mother sighed and proceeded to fiddle with the necklace in her hands. Without much longer, she leaned forward and placed the necklace around his neck and placed a kiss on his forehead.

His hand gingerly wrapped around the pendant to bring it up to his face so that he could look at it. Then, he looked back up to his mother with the confusion, but her attention was set on the blue pendant he held in his hands. He watched as her hand came around his and closed his fingers fully over the pendant. He looked up at her again.

"I would rather that you keep it," his mother said.

"But okaa-san--" he started, but his mother placed a finger on his lips.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a warm embrace. "I want you to keep it," she said. "When I am gone from this world, look at it and remember me…"

"Okaa-san…"

His mother pulled away and stood from her placed, her flute in her hand. She turned and walked towards a large stone atop the hill they were on. She sat down and he followed suit. He watched as his mother closed her eyes and carefully placed the flute at her lips. Soon, sweet music filled the air and everything seemed to immerse in a sort of sereneness that he could only associate with all the other times he had heard his mother play her flute.

The young silver-haired boy observed as the breeze cause her hair to sway, and watched as he fingers instinctively placed themselves in their rightful places with each note. His father and everyone in and out of their castle thought his mother was beautiful and indeed it was true. She had a simple beauty that had no need to be enhanced by the paints that other women applied onto their faces, and she always had an air of elegance to her that was only complimented greatly by her rare kind heart. Even if she were draped in the most plain and ordinary of kimono, she'd still look like a lady fit to be in a court. Her hair was long and shined with a natural gleam flowing through the vibrant silver. Her long bangs framed her face beautifully but she always loosely pinned back one side with decorative hair ornaments. But the thing he loved the most about her were her eyes for they were a wonderful shade of soft turquoise.

The tune of the flute filled his ears as his blinked and leaned against his mother's side. His eyelids drooped with sleepiness as the lullaby of the music danced through his head.

**TBC…**

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	14. The Darkness of Night

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Twelve: The Darkness of Night**

The sound of running water reached sensitive ears as Sesshoumaru slowly regained consciousness. His eyes adjusted to the darkness surrounding him and he soon took notice of exactly where he was. His head felt like it was filled with cotton and the sides of his head throbbed painfully.

Despite his headache, the demon lord stood from his spot against the base of a tree. He was still in his land, he presumed, and not physically injured at all in any way. Other than the annoyance of the headache, he was perfectly fine.

He looked around. It was already dark and the moon was high above, shrouded by the clouds. Several fireflies dotted the area, and the sound of water originated from a small stream located nearby. What had happened after he blacked out, and why had he bee brought to this place?

The moon peeked from behind the clouds and slivers of moonlight snaked down from the sky. The moonlight fell on some sort of… thing plopped onto the ground next to the stream. An indistinct sound escaped from it as twitched and moved slightly, obscuring itself more into the darkness.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. A scent wafted up to his nostrils as the wind blew. It was human… but different.

The thing let out a groan as it pushed itself off the ground into a sitting position. The silhouette of an arm rose up from its side and placed itself on what looked to be the thing's head.

"Where am I?" He heard a feminine voice speak out. "Ugh, I feel like crap… What happened…?"

The thing rose from the ground fully to reveal the outline of a woman's body. She swayed slightly before tripping on a small rock on the ground and falling backwards into the light. The woman landed rather hard on her behind, causing a sharp gasp of pain from her.

"Itai… My back… Stupid rock!"

Sesshoumaru watched with indifferent amusement as the woman-child that accompanied his half-brother on his little 'adventures' to find the Shikon no Tama stood and kicked the rock she had tripped on with a vengeance. The girl balled her fists and with a frustrated groan, swiftly turned around. Unfortunately, she stepped on another rock and slipped… again.

"Argh!" This time, the girl grabbed the offending rock and furiously threw it into the stream.

Mentally insane was the only thing to describe the girl at the moment, but the daiyoukai had better things to attend to, like to find out where and how he got there. Most likely, the black demon figure had something to do with the string of events that revolved around the scroll of Earth; the destruction of the village that was home to the protectors of the scroll of Earth, the death of the young miko in green, and the robbery of the scroll itself.

The feel of something solid bump into his side and the sound of a sharp intake of breath forced Sesshoumaru out of his musings. He looked down to the side to see two blue eyes staring up at him. Apparently, the girl hadn't been watching where she was going and had unintentionally bumped into him.

He watched as she backed away slowly, suddenly quiet despite her earlier heated argument with an inanimate object. She didn't seem afraid in the least bit, just a little nervous and perhaps cautious. Of course, he could kill her right there if he wanted to, but it was a waste of energy and he had other issues to attend to. But as he looked at her with his stoic expression, he noticed how different she was. It wasn't as though her overall appearance had radically changed, but she had matured a great deal from the young girl-child she was in their early encounters. It was then that he remembered that a fair amount of time had passed since he had last seen her. Instead of the strange green and white kimono he had usually seen her wear, she done a long-sleeved gray shirt and dark blue pants, both of which seemed to made of material he had never seen before.

Nevertheless, her disappearance for the last four years was none of his business. It did not concern him and it had no great effect on his well being, so despite the tiny ounce of curiosity floating somewhere in the back of his mind, he disregarded it and labeled it as pointless. The daiyoukai turned and walked quickly and silently out of the clearing, his shadow disappearing into the dark forest.

Meanwhile, Kagome stood frozen on her spot for a few second until she realized that her only chance for finding her way out of here had disappeared. She ran into the forest, but Sesshoumaru was already gone. She took a step forward and let out a frustrated sigh. She let her line of sight drop to the ground when she saw something glint in the moonlight. Kagome bent down to pick it up and examined it.

"Kagome!"

The young priestess turned her head in the direction of the familiar voice of her companions. She placed the trinket she had found the forest floor around her neck and tucked it into her gray sweater before dashing off in the direction she heard the voices of her friends. She hadn't been running for far when she spotted her friend walking under the lights and shadows created by the forest canopy.

"Kagome!" Sango and Miroku rushed towards her, asking if she was all right and being assured that she was all right.

Shippou lunged towards Kagome in a hug while Inuyasha merely scoffed to the side with a muttered 'glad you're all right'. She turned to Sango, who was checking her for any injuries and asked what had happened.

"Well, after we heard you scream, we all felt this choking sensation as I guess we all blacked out. When we came to, the field was completely void of any demon remains whatsoever," she said.

"It was as if the battle hadn't even taken place," Miroku added as he handed Kagome her bow and the pack she had brought with her from her time.

"And when we woke up, you were gone!" Shippou said from her shoulder, "What happened to you, Kagome?"

Inuyasha stepped forward and furrowed his eyebrows, "Yeah, what happened to you, and why do you have Sesshoumaru's scent on you? Did he do anything to you!"

Kagome shook her head at Inuyasha. "Look, nothing happened. When I came to, I was at this place by a stream and Sesshoumaru happened to be there. I didn't notice him until I bumped into him, but he disappeared without saying anything afterwards. He didn't hurt me or anything."

Inuyasha growled, "I swear, if he did anything I'll--"

"Were you even listening to anything I said!" Kagome glared at Inuyasha as she balled her fists. She groaned with anger and stomped a few ways away. "Sit boy!" She continued to walk while grumbling something about ear-clogged half-demons, the rest of her companions following after her.

**.o.**

Kagome sat down against a tree, the light of their campfire bouncing off her features. The rest of her companions were asleep, Miroku sitting against the tree opposite of her, Sango, Shippou and Kirara lying down at the base of the tree next to her, and Inuyasha perched up in a tree. A sigh escaped her mouth as she looked into the flames of the campfire.

So many questions wandered through her mind. Where had all the demons come from? Why was she taken elsewhere when she was unconscious while the others remained at the field? Why was Sesshoumaru there? What was that black demon thing that attacked her? Did the reawakening of the jewel and Bone-Eater's well have a connection with all of this?

Another sigh found its way out of her mouth as she looked up from the fire, to the orb in the sky. The moon was bright and though there were many stars in the sky, none of them could outshine it. _The moon… The moon…?'_ Kagome reached into her sweater and pulled out the trinket she had found on the ground earlier.

She held it up to the light of the moon and watched as the blue crescent moon pendant on her hand glistened beautifully. She took the necklace from her neck and examined it in her hands. It was simply made with a simple design, but it was simple in such a way that it was beautiful. _'Blue crescent moon… Is this…? Sesshoumaru's?' _

Kagome thought back to when she was in the small clearing near the stream. Did he drop it when he had left? She didn't remember him wearing it, but there was still the possiblility it belonged to him. He had a blue crescent moon on his forehead and the necklace had a blue crescent moon pendant. Surely, the necklace was his.

Her eyes slightly widened. Maybe he'd come looking for it. What would happen if he found out she had it with her? Would he accuse he of thievery and kill her for it? Kagome shook her head and sighed. Did Inuyasha know this was Sesshoumaru's? What would he think if he saw her with it? She'd have to find some way to return it even if there was a chance that she'd get killed for even touching it.

Kagome heard Inuyasha grunt in his sleep and froze. She trained her eyes on the hanyou as he shifted slightly in his sleep. She let out a sigh of relief and replaced the necklace back around her neck. With one last look at the amazing pendant, she tucked it back into her sweater and went to sleep.

**TBC…**

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	15. Numb

**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Thirteen: Numb**

… _and the war between the cats of southern Kyushu finally ended with a victory stronger and more powerful cats of northern Kyushu.. _

Kagome mouth formed into a frown. She closed the large archaic book in her hands and placed in back carefully into her bag. Perhaps Kitsu gave her the wrong book to work with…?

The young miko stood from her spot against a tree and placed her backpack around her shoulders. Her friends were gathered next to a river, a small fire cooking a few fish that were caught earlier. She sat on a large rock and watched as the usual routine of Sango smacking Miroku across the face played in front of her.

A sigh escaped her lips. So far, the book did nothing more than babbled on about war after war after war after war, and everything else hardly connected to what she was looking for. At this rate, she'd never finish her project i _and_ /i pass her first year at college. She'd have to take both semesters again!

Kagome was on the verge of pulling her hair out until the smell of a finely cooked fish wafted up to her nose. She blinked and looked as Sango held up a fish on a stick for her to take. Kagome accepted it and took a small bite, her worry over her schoolwork draining away her appetite.

"Kagome, are you all right?" Miroku asked as he sipped a bit of the canned tea Kagome had brought for him.

She nodded and handed her food to Shippou, who was now hopping up and down in delight. Kagome was too irritated about that fact of not making any progress at all. Altogether, she had probably finished a third of the book weighing her bag down, and still, she hadn't found anything helpful at all for her project.

She wasn't going to give up just yet, but if the book really was useless to her, then she'd just wasted two and a half hours almost tripping over every single stone and tree root in the forest walking while reading the damned book at the same time. Her professor was either doing this to play a cruel prank on her, or he was just a complete moron and gave her the wrong book.

Kagome bit her lip. He knew he wasn't an idiot. Kitsu was among her peers, one of the 'favorites', and she had to agree with them too. His intelligence, among other things, gave him a great appeal rare in their other professors. It's no surprise that he was rumored to be the most sought after person on-campus even if he was a teacher. He was handsome, and yet again another admirable feature, he was nice.

A slight pink tinted Kagome's cheeks and she shook her head. _'Yeah… Definitely not cruel at all…' _

She placed a hand on the necklace hanging around her neck. She'd forgotten all about it until now. Uneasiness crept through her, her hand tightening around the pendant. It still baffled her, what really happened that night.

And ever since three nights ago when they had found her wandering in the forest after her encounter with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha had started acting weird. More than usual, he was acting more overprotective and it made her feel as if she was too weak to protect herself. It certainly annoyed the hell out of her. Whether or not it had to do with her being away for four years, she really didn't feel comfortable being restricted from doing what she thought was best for her.

Kagome had snapped at the hanyou earlier when he tried to prevent her from refilling her water canister a few ways down the river and gave him a few good 'sit's to have her way. With a few more grumbles, the Inuyasha eventually let her go when Sango offered to go with her.

Kagome forced herself out of her thoughts and shook her head. She glanced over the fire and watched as her friends slept in peace. Inuyasha had retreated up a tree and in a branch, grumbling in his sleep.

She took her bow in her hand and made her way the forest. She had wanted to take a bath since that morning, but bathing in the river was too risky. It wasn't that the river was too dangerous. Actually, the river wasn't even all that deep and the current was gentle, but if she had bathed there, she'd be too exposed to both Miroku and Inuyasha.

After a quick glance back at the sleeping hanyou, Kagome took off into the forest. The grip around her bow tightened as the surrounding area got darker and darker as she traveled farther beyond the trees. The path she was following was getting harder to recognize and she was forced t squint to make sure she wasn't going to trip on anything.

Unfortunately, that method didn't work very well and Kagome ended up tripping on a rather large and conveniently placed tree root. The poor girl was flung through a bush and landed with an audible thud onto a patch of moist grass.

Kagome groaned and pushed herself up. She shook her head and opened her eyes to look at her reflection. She blinked and sat up. A wide grin spread slowly across her face and she shrugged the straps of her bags off her shoulders.

_'Ha! The gods don't hate me after all!'_ Kagome gleefully stood and dug through her bag for a towel. She hastily stripped herself of her clothing and slid into the water. An expression of pure relief masked her face as she let the warm waters ease her muscles.

Kagome tilted her head slightly and lifted her eyes to the sky. The moon was only half-full and partially hidden behind dark clouds. The mist surrounding the spring floated around her in dense wisps, as though it was hugging her form. It seemed… surreal…

Her hand went up to touch the pendant hanging around her neck, but her eyes never left the moon. The mist around her thickened as a cool breeze swirled softly around her body as if to wrap her in a protective cocoon. Her eyes flickered against the darkness as her lids drooped slightly.

The air grew colder and colder, but Kagome seemed oblivious, her eyes focused on the moon floating above. Her hands trembled ever so slightly, her body moving towards the middle of the springs. Her lips parted to take in a deep, shaky breath as her hand tightened its grasp on the pendant.

_'I can't… I can't move…' _Kagome's body swayed against the wind as her eyelids drooped lower. The mist swirled around her body, encasing her. As the clouds drifted across the sky and hid the moon, Kagome's body went numb.

Her lips grew farther apart, as if to scream, but no sound came out. Her eyes flickered as her hair swirled violently with the wind. Then everything went black…

**.o.**

"_Okaa-san! Okaa-san!"_

_It was raining again. _

"_Okaa-san! Okaa-san!" _

_The sound seemed so overwhelming. It drowned out his tiny voice and his footsteps. He ran through the castle, tripping on his hakama yet pushing himself up despite the pain in his knee. His hair was in disarray and his white kimono was marred with small specks of dirt from repeatedly falling. He was soaked heavily and the silk of his clothes dragged him down. _

_He turned and ran faster and faster until he finally made a stop in front of two sliding doors, drops of water dripping from his body to pool on the floor. He hesitantly slid one door open, afraid to peek into the darkness. He gulped and took a deep breath and slid the door farther. With a step inside, he looked up and stared at the second set of shoji doors in front of him. _

_He quietly slid the door shut behind him and he walked towards the second set of doors. He lifted his hands and touched the wooden frames of the doors. He was shaking._

_As he slid the doors, he slipped inside, his bottom lip quivering from the cold. He turned and noticed that a door was slid open, leading to an outer porch. He gritted his teeth and stepped out onto the porch, the cold air hitting his body with full force. _

_There she was standing in the center, her back turned to him. Slowly, he watched her turn to look at him. With her hair sticking to her face and drops of water running down her face… all she did was smile at him… _

…

_It was raining again…_

_But all he could hear was silence. _

**TBC…**

**PLZ REVIEW for any comments, complaints, questions, or suggestions!**


	16. Descent

**Author's Note: **I'd like to apologize to my readers. I know I've long neglected this fic. But I'm going to make it up to you with this chapter. :) I hope you all like it. Enjoy!

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**Price of Memory  
****By Rikayu**

**Chapter Fourteen: Descent**

_"Faster, faster, faster..." _it chanted.

Her legs were aching and her feet were growing numb, but she did not stop. She was supposed to keep running. Her heart thundered in her ears and her mind was such a haze that she didn't even know where she was going or where she was. But she ran and ran, not caring for anything aside from the voice telling her to keep going through the path that opened up in front of her.

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The air was frigid. Every time he let out a breath, it turned into a soft, cloudy mist as he walked silently through the fog-laden forest. And with each step he took forward, the fog only seemed to get thicker and visibility dwindled.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. Something was not right.

His golden eyes scanned through the area carefully, but even with his enhanced eyesight that came with being youkai, the demon lord could not see clearly enough through the fog for more than a few meters. The water that clung to the air was also making it difficult to pinpoint any suspicious scents that lingered in the immediate vicinity. But as the sound of light footsteps reached his ears, Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks. The fog swirled in front of him and he could see what looked like a person running through the forest.

He stalked forward and went into the direction the person was headed in. The fog thickened even more to the point where it was impossible for him to see past the cloudy white that surrounded him. But a faint scent still lingered in the air to create a path for him to follow.

As he continued to walk, the scent became stronger and the fog began to withdraw slightly. The sound of rushing water filled the air as Sesshoumaru reached the tree line. The scent continued up the river and through more of the fog. The farther he went upriver, the more the water sped faster, eventually turning into violent rapids until the water stopped flowing forward and instead cascaded down as a waterfall. On the cliffedge next to where the water disappeared, stood a woman.

Sesshoumaru halted in his steps and noticed then that the woman wore not a single article of clothing. He watched as the woman slowly turned to face him, her whipping fiercely around her form. Blue eyes stared into his and immediately he recognized her. Then his eyes widened ever so slightly. It was the human wench who accompanied his half-brother, and hanging from her neck was his mother's necklace.

He stepped forward once but the girl gave off no scent of fear or any physical response. She stood her ground and just stared at him with no expression on her face. Her deep blue eyes bore into his and were like a strange watery abyss that looked as if they could see directly into his soul. For some reason, it unnerved him.

"Wench, where did you get that necklace?" he demanded, but she did not answer.

The demon lord flexed his claws and they hung at his side and asked again, but still, the girl gave no reply. "You will give it to me," he said sternly and he stepped closer towards her but as he came within several feet of her, there was a sudden flash of bright light and he was sent flying backwards by an immense force. But he regained his momentum in midair and flipped, landing gracefully on his feet.

He looked up. Across from his half-brother's wench stood unmoving, silently watching him, as a shield of white energy pulsed around her. The taiyoukai eyed her warily, his hand moving to the hilt of his Tokijin. He watched as the girl slowly brought her hand up to touch the crescent moon pendant that hung in between her breasts. She lifted it up in her hand and looked down at the pendant briefly looking back up at him. The shield dissipated and she turned around to face away from him. Without so much as a glance back at the demon lord or any pause of hesitation, she ran forward and jumped.

As the girl instantly disappeared into the fog, Sesshoumaru pushed himself forward and dove over the edge of the cliff. The wind whipped wildly around his form as he bulleted down the side of the cliff face. His eyes focused instantly on the falling form of the woman just a few feet below him. The taiyoukai straightened his body, increasing his speed until he was right above her. His arm shot forward and wrapped around her waist, pulling the woman against him. But before he could turn their bodies in preparation to rebound up, Sesshoumaru felt the girl's hands go up to the sides of this face.

She turned his face to hers and her blue eyes stared into his golden ones. As their hair swirled black and silver around them, she brought her lips next to his ear and gave a soft whisper that was almost inaudible against the sound of the waterfall and the rushing wind.

"Sleep."

As the fog encased them and the water below came rushing closer, Sesshoumaru's body suddenly turned cold until he could not feel anything, the sound of the thundering waterfall filled his ears as everything went black.

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**End Note:** This chapter's a bit shorter than my previous chapters, but I'm pretty happy about how it came out. And yes, she's naked. o.o

**Plz Review~**


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